Is Don Mattingly #185 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1996 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 40× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Don Mattingly #185 sells for $69.99 against $1.74 raw: a $68.25 spread, 40× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.25) 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)
- $1.74
- PSA 10
- $69.99
- PSA 9
- $18.25
- Gem premium
- 40×
- 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 | $69.99 | +$43.25 | +$18.25 | −$81.75 |
| PSA 9 | $18.25 | −$8.49 | −$33.49 | −$133 |
| PSA 8 | $7.50 | −$19.24 | −$44.24 | −$144 |
Net = sale price − $1.74 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% | $31.18 | −$20.55 |
| 50% | $44.12 | −$7.62 |
| 75% | $57.05 | +$5.31 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 65%. 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 | $91.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $69.99 | −$21.01 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $42.00 | −$49.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $17.00 | −$74.00 | 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 Don Mattingly #185 — FAQ
Is Don Mattingly #185 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Don Mattingly #185 sells for $69.99 against $1.74 raw: a $68.25 spread, 40× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.25) 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 Don Mattingly #185 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Don Mattingly #185 (Baseball Cards 1996 Topps) sells for about $69.99 versus $1.74 for a raw near-mint copy — a 40× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Don Mattingly #185?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $91.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $69.99. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Don Mattingly #185 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 Don Mattingly #185 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Don Mattingly #185 breaks even when it gems about 65% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $18.25).
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