Is Kirk Gibson #396 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1989 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 45× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Kirk Gibson #396 sells for $60.50 against $1.34 raw: a $59.16 spread, 45× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($9.25) 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)
- $1.34
- PSA 10
- $60.50
- PSA 9
- $9.25
- Gem premium
- 45×
- 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 | $60.50 | +$34.16 | +$9.16 | −$90.84 |
| PSA 9 | $9.25 | −$17.09 | −$42.09 | −$142 |
| PSA 8 | $5.70 | −$20.64 | −$45.64 | −$146 |
Net = sale price − $1.34 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% | $22.06 | −$29.28 |
| 50% | $34.88 | −$16.47 |
| 75% | $47.69 | −$3.65 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 82%. 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 | $79.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $60.50 | −$18.50 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $36.00 | −$43.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $36.00 | −$43.00 | 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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Full set checklist →Grading Kirk Gibson #396 — FAQ
Is Kirk Gibson #396 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Kirk Gibson #396 sells for $60.50 against $1.34 raw: a $59.16 spread, 45× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($9.25) 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 Kirk Gibson #396 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Kirk Gibson #396 (Baseball Cards 1989 Topps) sells for about $60.50 versus $1.34 for a raw near-mint copy — a 45× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Kirk Gibson #396?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $79.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $60.50. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Kirk Gibson #396 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 Kirk Gibson #396 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Kirk Gibson #396 breaks even when it gems about 82% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $9.25).
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