Is Ken Griffey Jr. #79 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1997 Topps Gallery · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 30× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Ken Griffey Jr. #79 sells for $72.88 against $2.41 raw: a $70.47 spread, 30× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($17.00) 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)
- $2.41
- PSA 10
- $72.88
- PSA 9
- $17.00
- Gem premium
- 30×
- 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 | $72.88 | +$45.47 | +$20.47 | −$79.53 |
| PSA 9 | $17.00 | −$10.41 | −$35.41 | −$135 |
| PSA 8 | $15.25 | −$12.16 | −$37.16 | −$137 |
Net = sale price − $2.41 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% | $30.97 | −$21.44 |
| 50% | $44.94 | −$7.47 |
| 75% | $58.91 | +$6.50 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 63%. 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 | $95.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $72.88 | −$22.12 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $44.00 | −$51.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $44.00 | −$51.00 | 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 | $72.88 | $44.00 | $95.00 | $44.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $28.00 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $17.00 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $15.25 |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other 1997 Topps Gallery cards worth checking
Full set checklist →![Mariano Rivera [Player's Private Issue] #158 1997 Topps Gallery card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/blgAAOSwVeFix8cv/s-l500.jpg)
![Ken Griffey Jr. [Player's Private Issue] #79 1997 Topps Gallery card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/XukAAOSwoTRi6X5B/s-l500.jpg)
![Derek Jeter [Player's Private Issue] #161 1997 Topps Gallery card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Q0cAAeSwrFJqZn9I/s-l500.jpg)
![Rickey Henderson [Player's Private Issue] #11 1997 Topps Gallery card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/FU0AAOSwcr1oVa6c/s-l500.jpg)
Grading Ken Griffey Jr. #79 — FAQ
Is Ken Griffey Jr. #79 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Ken Griffey Jr. #79 sells for $72.88 against $2.41 raw: a $70.47 spread, 30× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($17.00) 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 Ken Griffey Jr. #79 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Ken Griffey Jr. #79 (Baseball Cards 1997 Topps Gallery) sells for about $72.88 versus $2.41 for a raw near-mint copy — a 30× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Ken Griffey Jr. #79?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $95.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $72.88. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Ken Griffey Jr. #79 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 Ken Griffey Jr. #79 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Ken Griffey Jr. #79 breaks even when it gems about 63% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $17.00).
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.
Check my card free