Is Mark McGwire #AE1 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1999 Topps Chrome All Etch · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 14× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Mark McGwire #AE1 sells for $62.43 against $4.39 raw: a $58.04 spread, 14× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($10.00) 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)
- $4.39
- PSA 10
- $62.43
- PSA 9
- $10.00
- Gem premium
- 14×
- 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 | $62.43 | +$33.04 | +$8.04 | −$91.96 |
| PSA 9 | $10.00 | −$19.39 | −$44.39 | −$144 |
| PSA 8 | $4.99 | −$24.40 | −$49.40 | −$149 |
Net = sale price − $4.39 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% | $23.11 | −$31.28 |
| 50% | $36.22 | −$18.17 |
| 75% | $49.32 | −$5.07 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 85%. 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 | $81.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $62.43 | −$18.57 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $37.00 | −$44.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $5.50 | −$75.50 | 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 | $62.43 | $37.00 | $81.00 | $5.50 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $10.50 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $10.00 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $4.99 |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other 1999 Topps Chrome All Etch cards worth checking
Full set checklist →![Greg Vaughn [Refractor] #AE4 1999 Topps Chrome All Etch card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/54UAAeSwnQFpqazB/s-l500.jpg)
![Jose Canseco [Refractor] #AE7 1999 Topps Chrome All Etch card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/HN0AAeSwVNZqQu98/s-l500.jpg)
![Albert Belle [Refractor] #AE5 1999 Topps Chrome All Etch card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/-gYAAeSw-aZotQrD/s-l500.jpg)
![Manny Ramirez [Refractor] #AE9 1999 Topps Chrome All Etch card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/kJsAAeSwFONqPsjy/s-l500.jpg)
![Sammy Sosa [Refractor] #AE2 1999 Topps Chrome All Etch card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/e-0AAeSwknpqSSp3/s-l500.jpg)
![Mark McGwire [Refractor] #AE1 1999 Topps Chrome All Etch card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/d4UAAeSwhyJqTfP9/s-l500.jpg)
Grading Mark McGwire #AE1 — FAQ
Is Mark McGwire #AE1 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Mark McGwire #AE1 sells for $62.43 against $4.39 raw: a $58.04 spread, 14× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($10.00) 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 Mark McGwire #AE1 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Mark McGwire #AE1 (Baseball Cards 1999 Topps Chrome All Etch) sells for about $62.43 versus $4.39 for a raw near-mint copy — a 14× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Mark McGwire #AE1?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $81.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $62.43. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Mark McGwire #AE1 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 Mark McGwire #AE1 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Mark McGwire #AE1 breaks even when it gems about 85% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $10.00).
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.
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