Is Cal Ripken Jr. #9 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1998 Skybox EX 2001 · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 31× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr. #9 sells for $123 against $3.93 raw: a $119 spread, 31× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($26.33) 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)
- $3.93
- PSA 10
- $123
- PSA 9
- $26.33
- Gem premium
- 31×
- 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 | $123 | +$93.68 | +$68.68 | −$31.32 |
| PSA 9 | $26.33 | −$2.60 | −$27.60 | −$128 |
| PSA 8 | $13.10 | −$15.83 | −$40.83 | −$141 |
Net = sale price − $3.93 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% | $50.40 | −$3.53 |
| 50% | $74.47 | +$20.54 |
| 75% | $98.54 | +$44.61 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 29%. 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 | $159 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $123 | −$36.39 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $74.00 | −$85.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $74.00 | −$85.00 | 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 Cal Ripken Jr. #9 — FAQ
Is Cal Ripken Jr. #9 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr. #9 sells for $123 against $3.93 raw: a $119 spread, 31× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($26.33) 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 Cal Ripken Jr. #9 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr. #9 (Baseball Cards 1998 Skybox EX 2001) sells for about $123 versus $3.93 for a raw near-mint copy — a 31× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Cal Ripken Jr. #9?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $159, ahead of PSA 10 at $123. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Cal Ripken Jr. #9 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 Cal Ripken Jr. #9 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Cal Ripken Jr. #9 breaks even when it gems about 29% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $26.33).
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