Is Lonnie Smith #777 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1988 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 217× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Lonnie Smith #777 sells for $260 against $1.20 raw: a $259 spread, 217× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.99) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $1.20
- PSA 10
- $260
- PSA 9
- $21.99
- Gem premium
- 217×
- As of
- Sep 3, 2026
Break-even by outcome and fee
| If it comes back… | Sells for | Economy / bulk (~$25.00) | Standard (~$50.00) | Express (~$150) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gem — PSA 10 | $260 | +$234 | +$209 | +$109 |
| PSA 9 | $21.99 | −$4.21 | −$29.21 | −$129 |
| PSA 8 | $4.60 | −$21.60 | −$46.60 | −$147 |
Net = sale price − $1.20 raw value − fee. Fee tiers are illustrative; plug your grader's current price into the calculator below.
Expected value — how often does it need to gem?
| Chance it gems | Expected sale | Expected net (standard fee) |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | $81.49 | +$30.29 |
| 50% | $141 | +$89.80 |
| 75% | $200 | +$149 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 12%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.
Which grader pays the most — and what a 10 takes
All centering standards →| Grader | 10 sells for | vs best | Front centering for a 10 | Back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGS 10 | $338 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $260 | −$78.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $156 | −$182 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $156 | −$182 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
Tolerances are each company's published centering standard for its top grade; surface, corners and edges must also be clean. Centering is the one you can measure yourself before you pay.
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Grading Lonnie Smith #777 — FAQ
Is Lonnie Smith #777 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Lonnie Smith #777 sells for $260 against $1.20 raw: a $259 spread, 217× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.99) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
How much is a PSA 10 Lonnie Smith #777 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Lonnie Smith #777 (Baseball Cards 1988 Topps) sells for about $260 versus $1.20 for a raw near-mint copy — a 217× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Lonnie Smith #777?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $338, ahead of PSA 10 at $260. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Lonnie Smith #777 need for a BGS 10?
BGS publishes 55/45 front and 70/30 back centering as the tolerance for a 10 (Gem Mint). Off-center copies are capped below the top grade regardless of surface — measure yours before paying the fee.
What gem rate makes grading Lonnie Smith #777 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Lonnie Smith #777 breaks even when it gems about 12% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $21.99).
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