Is Lou Boudreau #304 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1991 Topps Archives 1953 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 72× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Lou Boudreau #304 sells for $71.21 against $0.99 raw: a $70.22 spread, 72× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.71) 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
- $71.21
- PSA 9
- $16.71
- Gem premium
- 72×
- As of
- Sep 3, 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 | $71.21 | +$45.22 | +$20.22 | −$79.78 |
| PSA 9 | $16.71 | −$9.28 | −$34.28 | −$134 |
| PSA 8 | $8.01 | −$17.98 | −$42.98 | −$143 |
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% | $30.34 | −$20.65 |
| 50% | $43.96 | −$7.03 |
| 75% | $57.59 | +$6.59 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 63%. 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 | $93.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $71.21 | −$21.79 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $43.00 | −$50.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $43.00 | −$50.00 | 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 Lou Boudreau #304 — FAQ
Is Lou Boudreau #304 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Lou Boudreau #304 sells for $71.21 against $0.99 raw: a $70.22 spread, 72× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.71) 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 Lou Boudreau #304 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Lou Boudreau #304 (Baseball Cards 1991 Topps Archives 1953) sells for about $71.21 versus $0.99 for a raw near-mint copy — a 72× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Lou Boudreau #304?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $93.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $71.21. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Lou Boudreau #304 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 Lou Boudreau #304 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Lou Boudreau #304 breaks even when it gems about 63% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $16.71).
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