Is Alvin Davis #515 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1991 Topps Desert Shield · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 17× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Alvin Davis #515 sells for $86.43 against $4.99 raw: a $81.44 spread, 17× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($28.90) 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)
- $4.99
- PSA 10
- $86.43
- PSA 9
- $28.90
- Gem premium
- 17×
- 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 | $86.43 | +$56.44 | +$31.44 | −$68.56 |
| PSA 9 | $28.90 | −$1.09 | −$26.09 | −$126 |
| PSA 8 | $20.19 | −$9.80 | −$34.80 | −$135 |
Net = sale price − $4.99 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% | $43.28 | −$11.71 |
| 50% | $57.67 | +$2.68 |
| 75% | $72.05 | +$17.06 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 45%. 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 | $112 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $86.43 | −$25.57 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $52.00 | −$60.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $52.00 | −$60.00 | 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 Alvin Davis #515 — FAQ
Is Alvin Davis #515 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Alvin Davis #515 sells for $86.43 against $4.99 raw: a $81.44 spread, 17× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($28.90) 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 Alvin Davis #515 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Alvin Davis #515 (Baseball Cards 1991 Topps Desert Shield) sells for about $86.43 versus $4.99 for a raw near-mint copy — a 17× premium as of Sep 2, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Alvin Davis #515?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $112, ahead of PSA 10 at $86.43. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Alvin Davis #515 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 Alvin Davis #515 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Alvin Davis #515 breaks even when it gems about 45% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $28.90).
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