Is Barry Bonds #1 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1993 Topps Black Gold · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 123× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Barry Bonds #1 sells for $251 against $2.04 raw: a $249 spread, 123× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($14.29) 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)
- $2.04
- PSA 10
- $251
- PSA 9
- $14.29
- Gem premium
- 123×
- 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 | $251 | +$224 | +$199 | +$98.90 |
| PSA 9 | $14.29 | −$12.75 | −$37.75 | −$138 |
| PSA 8 | $8.50 | −$18.54 | −$43.54 | −$144 |
Net = sale price − $2.04 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% | $73.45 | +$21.41 |
| 50% | $133 | +$80.58 |
| 75% | $192 | +$140 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 16%. 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 | $326 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $251 | −$75.06 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $151 | −$175 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $151 | −$175 | 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 | $251 | $151 | $326 | $151 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $21.01 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $14.29 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $8.50 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $7.87 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Barry Bonds #1 — FAQ
Is Barry Bonds #1 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Barry Bonds #1 sells for $251 against $2.04 raw: a $249 spread, 123× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($14.29) 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 Barry Bonds #1 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Barry Bonds #1 (Baseball Cards 1993 Topps Black Gold) sells for about $251 versus $2.04 for a raw near-mint copy — a 123× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Barry Bonds #1?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $326, ahead of PSA 10 at $251. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Barry Bonds #1 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 Barry Bonds #1 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Barry Bonds #1 breaks even when it gems about 16% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $14.29).
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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