Is Cal Ripken #5 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1991 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 50× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken #5 sells for $77.77 against $1.55 raw: a $76.22 spread, 50× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($13.49) 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)
- $1.55
- PSA 10
- $77.77
- PSA 9
- $13.49
- Gem premium
- 50×
- 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 | $77.77 | +$51.22 | +$26.22 | −$73.78 |
| PSA 9 | $13.49 | −$13.06 | −$38.06 | −$138 |
| PSA 8 | $6.50 | −$20.05 | −$45.05 | −$145 |
Net = sale price − $1.55 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% | $29.56 | −$21.99 |
| 50% | $45.63 | −$5.92 |
| 75% | $61.70 | +$10.15 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 59%. 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 | $101 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $77.77 | −$23.23 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $47.00 | −$54.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $47.00 | −$54.00 | 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 | $77.77 | $47.00 | $101 | $47.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $15.00 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $13.49 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $6.50 |
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 Cal Ripken #5 — FAQ
Is Cal Ripken #5 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken #5 sells for $77.77 against $1.55 raw: a $76.22 spread, 50× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($13.49) 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 #5 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken #5 (Baseball Cards 1991 Topps) sells for about $77.77 versus $1.55 for a raw near-mint copy — a 50× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Cal Ripken #5?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $101, ahead of PSA 10 at $77.77. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Cal Ripken #5 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 #5 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Cal Ripken #5 breaks even when it gems about 59% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $13.49).
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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