Is Billy Wagner #218 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1996 Leaf · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 48× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Billy Wagner #218 sells for $70.71 against $1.47 raw: a $69.24 spread, 48× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.98) 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)
- $1.47
- PSA 10
- $70.71
- PSA 9
- $16.98
- Gem premium
- 48×
- 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 | $70.71 | +$44.24 | +$19.24 | −$80.76 |
| PSA 9 | $16.98 | −$9.49 | −$34.49 | −$134 |
| PSA 8 | $7.50 | −$18.97 | −$43.97 | −$144 |
Net = sale price − $1.47 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% | $30.41 | −$21.06 |
| 50% | $43.84 | −$7.63 |
| 75% | $57.28 | +$5.81 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 64%. 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 | $92.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $70.71 | −$21.29 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $42.00 | −$50.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $42.00 | −$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.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | PSA | CGC | BGS | SGC | Graded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $70.71 | $42.00 | $92.00 | $42.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $31.12 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $16.98 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $7.50 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $6.00 |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
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Grading Billy Wagner #218 — FAQ
Is Billy Wagner #218 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Billy Wagner #218 sells for $70.71 against $1.47 raw: a $69.24 spread, 48× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.98) 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 Billy Wagner #218 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Billy Wagner #218 (Baseball Cards 1996 Leaf) sells for about $70.71 versus $1.47 for a raw near-mint copy — a 48× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Billy Wagner #218?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $92.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $70.71. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Billy Wagner #218 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 Billy Wagner #218 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Billy Wagner #218 breaks even when it gems about 64% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $16.98).
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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