Is Ken Griffey Jr. #1 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1999 Upper Deck Ovation · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 44× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Ken Griffey Jr. #1 sells for $152 against $3.50 raw: a $149 spread, 44× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($28.39) 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)
- $3.50
- PSA 10
- $152
- PSA 9
- $28.39
- Gem premium
- 44×
- 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 | $152 | +$124 | +$98.99 | −$1.01 |
| PSA 9 | $28.39 | −$0.11 | −$25.11 | −$125 |
| PSA 8 | $17.27 | −$11.23 | −$36.23 | −$136 |
Net = sale price − $3.50 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% | $59.42 | +$5.92 |
| 50% | $90.44 | +$36.94 |
| 75% | $121 | +$67.97 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 20%. 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 | $198 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $152 | −$45.51 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $91.00 | −$107 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $91.00 | −$107 | 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 | $152 | $91.00 | $198 | $91.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $42.82 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $28.39 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $17.27 |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other 1999 Upper Deck Ovation cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
![Ken Griffey Jr. [Standing Ovation] #1 1999 Upper Deck Ovation card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zIoAAeSwUg1p2ooC/s-l500.jpg)
Grading Ken Griffey Jr. #1 — FAQ
Is Ken Griffey Jr. #1 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Ken Griffey Jr. #1 sells for $152 against $3.50 raw: a $149 spread, 44× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($28.39) 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. #1 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Ken Griffey Jr. #1 (Baseball Cards 1999 Upper Deck Ovation) sells for about $152 versus $3.50 for a raw near-mint copy — a 44× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Ken Griffey Jr. #1?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $198, ahead of PSA 10 at $152. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Ken Griffey Jr. #1 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. #1 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Ken Griffey Jr. #1 breaks even when it gems about 20% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $28.39).
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