Is Joe Mauer #238 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 2002 Bowman Heritage · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 36× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Joe Mauer #238 sells for $194 against $5.38 raw: a $188 spread, 36× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($24.70) 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)
- $5.38
- PSA 10
- $194
- PSA 9
- $24.70
- Gem premium
- 36×
- 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 | $194 | +$163 | +$138 | +$38.15 |
| PSA 9 | $24.70 | −$5.68 | −$30.68 | −$131 |
| PSA 8 | $5.75 | −$24.63 | −$49.63 | −$150 |
Net = sale price − $5.38 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% | $66.91 | +$11.53 |
| 50% | $109 | +$53.73 |
| 75% | $151 | +$95.94 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 18%. 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 | $252 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $194 | −$58.47 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $116 | −$136 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $31.00 | −$221 | 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 | $194 | $116 | $252 | $31.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $41.67 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $24.70 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $5.75 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $5.00 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Joe Mauer #238 — FAQ
Is Joe Mauer #238 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Joe Mauer #238 sells for $194 against $5.38 raw: a $188 spread, 36× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($24.70) 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 Joe Mauer #238 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Joe Mauer #238 (Baseball Cards 2002 Bowman Heritage) sells for about $194 versus $5.38 for a raw near-mint copy — a 36× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Joe Mauer #238?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $252, ahead of PSA 10 at $194. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Joe Mauer #238 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 Joe Mauer #238 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Joe Mauer #238 breaks even when it gems about 18% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $24.70).
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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