Is Nolan Ryan #45 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1992 Upper Deck Team MVP Holograms · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 59× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #45 sells for $89.15 against $1.50 raw: a $87.65 spread, 59× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($23.00) 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)
- $1.50
- PSA 10
- $89.15
- PSA 9
- $23.00
- Gem premium
- 59×
- 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 | $89.15 | +$62.65 | +$37.65 | −$62.35 |
| PSA 9 | $23.00 | −$3.50 | −$28.50 | −$129 |
| PSA 8 | $21.06 | −$5.44 | −$30.44 | −$130 |
Net = sale price − $1.50 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% | $39.54 | −$11.96 |
| 50% | $56.08 | +$4.58 |
| 75% | $72.61 | +$21.11 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 43%. 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 | $116 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $89.15 | −$26.85 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $53.00 | −$63.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $53.00 | −$63.00 | 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 Nolan Ryan #45 — FAQ
Is Nolan Ryan #45 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #45 sells for $89.15 against $1.50 raw: a $87.65 spread, 59× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($23.00) 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 Nolan Ryan #45 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #45 (Baseball Cards 1992 Upper Deck Team MVP Holograms) sells for about $89.15 versus $1.50 for a raw near-mint copy — a 59× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Nolan Ryan #45?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $116, ahead of PSA 10 at $89.15. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Nolan Ryan #45 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 Nolan Ryan #45 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Nolan Ryan #45 breaks even when it gems about 43% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $23.00).
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