Is Lefty Gomez #16 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1989 Perez Steele Celebration Postcard · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 16× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Lefty Gomez #16 sells for $55.48 against $3.54 raw: a $51.94 spread, 16× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($25.00) 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)
- $3.54
- PSA 10
- $55.48
- PSA 9
- $25.00
- Gem premium
- 16×
- 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 | $55.48 | +$26.94 | +$1.94 | −$98.06 |
| PSA 9 | $25.00 | −$3.54 | −$28.54 | −$129 |
Net = sale price − $3.54 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% | $32.62 | −$20.92 |
| 50% | $40.24 | −$13.30 |
| 75% | $47.86 | −$5.68 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 94%. 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 | $72.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $55.48 | −$16.52 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $33.00 | −$39.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $33.00 | −$39.00 | 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 Lefty Gomez #16 — FAQ
Is Lefty Gomez #16 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Lefty Gomez #16 sells for $55.48 against $3.54 raw: a $51.94 spread, 16× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($25.00) 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 Lefty Gomez #16 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Lefty Gomez #16 (Baseball Cards 1989 Perez Steele Celebration Postcard) sells for about $55.48 versus $3.54 for a raw near-mint copy — a 16× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Lefty Gomez #16?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $72.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $55.48. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Lefty Gomez #16 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 Lefty Gomez #16 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Lefty Gomez #16 breaks even when it gems about 94% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $25.00).
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