Is Bud Black #144 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1990 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 115× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Bud Black #144 sells for $114 against $0.99 raw: a $113 spread, 115× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($12.95) 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)
- $0.99
- PSA 10
- $114
- PSA 9
- $12.95
- Gem premium
- 115×
- As of
- Sep 2, 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 | $114 | +$88.01 | +$63.01 | −$36.99 |
| PSA 9 | $12.95 | −$13.04 | −$38.04 | −$138 |
Net = sale price − $0.99 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% | $38.21 | −$12.78 |
| 50% | $63.48 | +$12.48 |
| 75% | $88.74 | +$37.75 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 38%. 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 | $148 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $114 | −$34.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $68.00 | −$80.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $68.00 | −$80.00 | 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 Bud Black #144 — FAQ
Is Bud Black #144 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Bud Black #144 sells for $114 against $0.99 raw: a $113 spread, 115× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($12.95) 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 Bud Black #144 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Bud Black #144 (Baseball Cards 1990 Topps) sells for about $114 versus $0.99 for a raw near-mint copy — a 115× premium as of Sep 2, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Bud Black #144?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $148, ahead of PSA 10 at $114. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Bud Black #144 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 Bud Black #144 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Bud Black #144 breaks even when it gems about 38% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $12.95).
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