Is Joe Black #81 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1991 Topps Archives 1953 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 64× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Joe Black #81 sells for $84.36 against $1.32 raw: a $83.04 spread, 64× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.85) 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)
- $1.32
- PSA 10
- $84.36
- PSA 9
- $18.85
- Gem premium
- 64×
- 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 | $84.36 | +$58.04 | +$33.04 | −$66.96 |
| PSA 9 | $18.85 | −$7.47 | −$32.47 | −$132 |
| PSA 8 | $8.99 | −$17.33 | −$42.33 | −$142 |
Net = sale price − $1.32 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% | $35.23 | −$16.09 |
| 50% | $51.61 | +$0.29 |
| 75% | $67.98 | +$16.66 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 50%. 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 | $110 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $84.36 | −$25.64 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $51.00 | −$59.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $51.00 | −$59.00 | 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 | $84.36 | $51.00 | $110 | $51.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $34.66 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $18.85 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $8.99 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Joe Black #81 — FAQ
Is Joe Black #81 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Joe Black #81 sells for $84.36 against $1.32 raw: a $83.04 spread, 64× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.85) 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 Joe Black #81 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Joe Black #81 (Baseball Cards 1991 Topps Archives 1953) sells for about $84.36 versus $1.32 for a raw near-mint copy — a 64× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Joe Black #81?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $110, ahead of PSA 10 at $84.36. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Joe Black #81 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 Joe Black #81 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Joe Black #81 breaks even when it gems about 50% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $18.85).
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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