Is Ken Griffey #259 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1989 Bowman · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 43× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Ken Griffey #259 sells for $107 against $2.48 raw: a $104 spread, 43× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($22.94) 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)
- $2.48
- PSA 10
- $107
- PSA 9
- $22.94
- Gem premium
- 43×
- As of
- Sep 4, 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 | $107 | +$79.31 | +$54.31 | −$45.69 |
| PSA 9 | $22.94 | −$4.54 | −$29.54 | −$130 |
| PSA 8 | $13.44 | −$14.04 | −$39.04 | −$139 |
Net = sale price − $2.48 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% | $43.90 | −$8.58 |
| 50% | $64.87 | +$12.39 |
| 75% | $85.83 | +$33.35 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 35%. 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 | $139 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $107 | −$32.21 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $64.99 | −$74.01 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $51.00 | −$88.00 | 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 Ken Griffey #259 — FAQ
Is Ken Griffey #259 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Ken Griffey #259 sells for $107 against $2.48 raw: a $104 spread, 43× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($22.94) 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 Ken Griffey #259 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Ken Griffey #259 (Baseball Cards 1989 Bowman) sells for about $107 versus $2.48 for a raw near-mint copy — a 43× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Ken Griffey #259?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $139, ahead of PSA 10 at $107. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Ken Griffey #259 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 Ken Griffey #259 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Ken Griffey #259 breaks even when it gems about 35% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $22.94).
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