Is Alex Rodriguez [Running Gold Refractor] #49 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 2012 Topps Chrome · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 15× premium in SGC 10
A SGC 10 Alex Rodriguez [Running Gold Refractor] #49 sells for $149 against $10.00 raw: a $139 spread, 15× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($26.86) 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)
- $10.00
- SGC 10
- $149
- PSA 9
- $26.86
- Gem premium
- 15×
- 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 — SGC 10 | $149 | +$114 | +$89.00 | −$11.00 |
| PSA 9 | $26.86 | −$8.14 | −$33.14 | −$133 |
Net = sale price − $10.00 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% | $57.39 | −$2.61 |
| 50% | $87.93 | +$27.93 |
| 75% | $118 | +$58.47 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 27%. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SGC 10 | $149 | best | 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 | SGC | Graded |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $149 | — |
| 9.5 | — | $30.00 |
| 9 | — | $26.86 |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
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Grading Alex Rodriguez [Running Gold Refractor] #49 — FAQ
Is Alex Rodriguez [Running Gold Refractor] #49 worth grading?
A SGC 10 Alex Rodriguez [Running Gold Refractor] #49 sells for $149 against $10.00 raw: a $139 spread, 15× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($26.86) 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.
What centering does Alex Rodriguez [Running Gold Refractor] #49 need for a SGC 10?
SGC publishes 55/45 front and 75/25 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 Alex Rodriguez [Running Gold Refractor] #49 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Alex Rodriguez [Running Gold Refractor] #49 breaks even when it gems about 27% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $26.86).
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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