Is Nolan Ryan #154 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1989 Donruss · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 102× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #154 sells for $128 against $1.25 raw: a $127 spread, 102× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.81) 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)
- $1.25
- PSA 10
- $128
- PSA 9
- $16.81
- Gem premium
- 102×
- 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 | $128 | +$102 | +$76.71 | −$23.29 |
| PSA 9 | $16.81 | −$9.44 | −$34.44 | −$134 |
| PSA 8 | $11.32 | −$14.93 | −$39.93 | −$140 |
Net = sale price − $1.25 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% | $44.60 | −$6.65 |
| 50% | $72.38 | +$21.13 |
| 75% | $100 | +$48.92 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 31%. 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 | $166 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $128 | −$38.04 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $56.02 | −$110 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $48.00 | −$118 | 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 #154 — FAQ
Is Nolan Ryan #154 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #154 sells for $128 against $1.25 raw: a $127 spread, 102× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.81) 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 #154 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #154 (Baseball Cards 1989 Donruss) sells for about $128 versus $1.25 for a raw near-mint copy — a 102× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Nolan Ryan #154?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $166, ahead of PSA 10 at $128. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Nolan Ryan #154 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 #154 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Nolan Ryan #154 breaks even when it gems about 31% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $16.81).
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