Is Nolan Ryan #55 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1989 Donruss Baseball's Best · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 61× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #55 sells for $116 against $1.90 raw: a $114 spread, 61× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.48) 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)
- $1.90
- PSA 10
- $116
- PSA 9
- $18.48
- Gem premium
- 61×
- 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 | $116 | +$88.60 | +$63.60 | −$36.40 |
| PSA 9 | $18.48 | −$8.42 | −$33.42 | −$133 |
| PSA 8 | $12.99 | −$13.91 | −$38.91 | −$139 |
Net = sale price − $1.90 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% | $42.73 | −$9.16 |
| 50% | $66.99 | +$15.09 |
| 75% | $91.25 | +$39.34 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 34%. 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 | $150 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $116 | −$34.50 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $69.00 | −$81.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $69.00 | −$81.00 | 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 Nolan Ryan #55 — FAQ
Is Nolan Ryan #55 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #55 sells for $116 against $1.90 raw: a $114 spread, 61× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.48) 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 Nolan Ryan #55 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #55 (Baseball Cards 1989 Donruss Baseball's Best) sells for about $116 versus $1.90 for a raw near-mint copy — a 61× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Nolan Ryan #55?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $150, ahead of PSA 10 at $116. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Nolan Ryan #55 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 Nolan Ryan #55 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Nolan Ryan #55 breaks even when it gems about 34% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $18.48).
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