Is John Smoltz #BC-12 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1990 Donruss MVP · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 62× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 John Smoltz #BC-12 sells for $86.80 against $1.40 raw: a $85.40 spread, 62× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.17) 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)
- $1.40
- PSA 10
- $86.80
- PSA 9
- $19.17
- Gem premium
- 62×
- 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 | $86.80 | +$60.40 | +$35.40 | −$64.60 |
| PSA 9 | $19.17 | −$7.23 | −$32.23 | −$132 |
| PSA 8 | $9.08 | −$17.32 | −$42.32 | −$142 |
Net = sale price − $1.40 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% | $36.08 | −$15.32 |
| 50% | $52.98 | +$1.59 |
| 75% | $69.89 | +$18.49 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 48%. 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 | $113 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $86.80 | −$26.20 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $52.00 | −$61.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $52.00 | −$61.00 | 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 John Smoltz #BC-12 — FAQ
Is John Smoltz #BC-12 worth grading?
A PSA 10 John Smoltz #BC-12 sells for $86.80 against $1.40 raw: a $85.40 spread, 62× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.17) 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 John Smoltz #BC-12 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 John Smoltz #BC-12 (Baseball Cards 1990 Donruss MVP) sells for about $86.80 versus $1.40 for a raw near-mint copy — a 62× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for John Smoltz #BC-12?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $113, ahead of PSA 10 at $86.80. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does John Smoltz #BC-12 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 John Smoltz #BC-12 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting John Smoltz #BC-12 breaks even when it gems about 48% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $19.17).
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