Is John Smoltz #172 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1992 Donruss Triple Play · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 106× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 John Smoltz #172 sells for $82.51 against $0.78 raw: a $81.73 spread, 106× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($10.25) 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)
- $0.78
- PSA 10
- $82.51
- PSA 9
- $10.25
- Gem premium
- 106×
- As of
- Sep 4, 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 | $82.51 | +$56.73 | +$31.73 | −$68.27 |
| PSA 9 | $10.25 | −$15.53 | −$40.53 | −$141 |
Net = sale price − $0.78 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% | $28.32 | −$22.46 |
| 50% | $46.38 | −$4.40 |
| 75% | $64.45 | +$13.67 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 56%. 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 | $107 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $82.51 | −$24.49 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $50.00 | −$57.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $50.00 | −$57.00 | 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 John Smoltz #172 — FAQ
Is John Smoltz #172 worth grading?
A PSA 10 John Smoltz #172 sells for $82.51 against $0.78 raw: a $81.73 spread, 106× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($10.25) 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 #172 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 John Smoltz #172 (Baseball Cards 1992 Donruss Triple Play) sells for about $82.51 versus $0.78 for a raw near-mint copy — a 106× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for John Smoltz #172?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $107, ahead of PSA 10 at $82.51. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does John Smoltz #172 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 #172 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting John Smoltz #172 breaks even when it gems about 56% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $10.25).
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