Is Cal Ripken #57 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1990 Donruss Best AL · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 41× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken #57 sells for $63.71 against $1.54 raw: a $62.17 spread, 41× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($17.02) 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)
- $1.54
- PSA 10
- $63.71
- PSA 9
- $17.02
- Gem premium
- 41×
- 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 | $63.71 | +$37.17 | +$12.17 | −$87.83 |
| PSA 9 | $17.02 | −$9.52 | −$34.52 | −$135 |
| PSA 8 | $9.00 | −$17.54 | −$42.54 | −$143 |
Net = sale price − $1.54 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% | $28.69 | −$22.85 |
| 50% | $40.37 | −$11.17 |
| 75% | $52.04 | +$0.50 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 74%. 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 | $83.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $63.71 | −$19.29 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $38.00 | −$45.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $24.59 | −$58.41 | 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 Cal Ripken #57 — FAQ
Is Cal Ripken #57 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken #57 sells for $63.71 against $1.54 raw: a $62.17 spread, 41× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($17.02) 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 Cal Ripken #57 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken #57 (Baseball Cards 1990 Donruss Best AL) sells for about $63.71 versus $1.54 for a raw near-mint copy — a 41× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Cal Ripken #57?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $83.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $63.71. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Cal Ripken #57 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 Cal Ripken #57 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Cal Ripken #57 breaks even when it gems about 74% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $17.02).
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