Is John Smoltz #8 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1990 Donruss · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 73× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 John Smoltz #8 sells for $98.15 against $1.34 raw: a $96.81 spread, 73× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.02) 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)
- $1.34
- PSA 10
- $98.15
- PSA 9
- $21.02
- Gem premium
- 73×
- As of
- Jul 11, 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 | $98.15 | +$71.81 | +$46.81 | −$53.19 |
| PSA 9 | $21.02 | −$5.32 | −$30.32 | −$130 |
| PSA 8 | $12.50 | −$13.84 | −$38.84 | −$139 |
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% | $40.30 | −$11.04 |
| 50% | $59.59 | +$8.24 |
| 75% | $78.87 | +$27.53 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 39%. 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 | $128 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $98.15 | −$29.85 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $59.00 | −$69.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $59.00 | −$69.00 | 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.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | PSA | CGC | BGS | SGC | Graded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $98.15 | $59.00 | $128 | $59.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $38.35 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $21.02 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $12.50 |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
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Grading John Smoltz #8 — FAQ
Is John Smoltz #8 worth grading?
A PSA 10 John Smoltz #8 sells for $98.15 against $1.34 raw: a $96.81 spread, 73× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.02) 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 John Smoltz #8 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 John Smoltz #8 (Baseball Cards 1990 Donruss) sells for about $98.15 versus $1.34 for a raw near-mint copy — a 73× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for John Smoltz #8?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $128, ahead of PSA 10 at $98.15. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does John Smoltz #8 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 #8 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting John Smoltz #8 breaks even when it gems about 39% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $21.02).
Is your baseball card centered well enough to grade?
Centering makes or breaks a PSA 10. Scan any card with Midpoint to measure its exact centering, get a grade estimate, and see what your copy is actually worth.
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