Is Travis Lee #144 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1998 Donruss Preferred · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 39× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Travis Lee #144 sells for $74.13 against $1.91 raw: a $72.22 spread, 39× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($17.80) 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)
- $1.91
- PSA 10
- $74.13
- PSA 9
- $17.80
- Gem premium
- 39×
- 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 | $74.13 | +$47.22 | +$22.22 | −$77.78 |
| PSA 9 | $17.80 | −$9.11 | −$34.11 | −$134 |
| PSA 8 | $8.88 | −$18.03 | −$43.03 | −$143 |
Net = sale price − $1.91 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% | $31.88 | −$20.03 |
| 50% | $45.96 | −$5.95 |
| 75% | $60.05 | +$8.14 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 61%. 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 | $96.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $74.13 | −$21.87 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $44.00 | −$52.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $44.00 | −$52.00 | 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 | $74.13 | $44.00 | $96.00 | $44.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $32.19 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $17.80 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $8.88 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Travis Lee #144 — FAQ
Is Travis Lee #144 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Travis Lee #144 sells for $74.13 against $1.91 raw: a $72.22 spread, 39× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($17.80) 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 Travis Lee #144 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Travis Lee #144 (Baseball Cards 1998 Donruss Preferred) sells for about $74.13 versus $1.91 for a raw near-mint copy — a 39× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Travis Lee #144?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $96.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $74.13. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Travis Lee #144 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 Travis Lee #144 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Travis Lee #144 breaks even when it gems about 61% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $17.80).
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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