Is Mark McGwire #3 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1988 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 60× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Mark McGwire #3 sells for $75.00 against $1.25 raw: a $73.75 spread, 60× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($8.50) 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)
- $1.25
- PSA 10
- $75.00
- PSA 9
- $8.50
- Gem premium
- 60×
- As of
- Aug 18, 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 | $75.00 | +$48.75 | +$23.75 | −$76.25 |
| PSA 9 | $8.50 | −$17.75 | −$42.75 | −$143 |
| PSA 8 | $7.94 | −$18.31 | −$43.31 | −$143 |
Net = sale price − $1.25 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% | $25.13 | −$26.13 |
| 50% | $41.75 | −$9.50 |
| 75% | $58.38 | +$7.13 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 64%. 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 | $98.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $75.00 | −$23.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $45.00 | −$53.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $45.00 | −$53.00 | 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 | $75.00 | $45.00 | $98.00 | $45.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $25.00 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $8.50 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $7.94 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $5.69 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Mark McGwire #3 — FAQ
Is Mark McGwire #3 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Mark McGwire #3 sells for $75.00 against $1.25 raw: a $73.75 spread, 60× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($8.50) 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 #3 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Mark McGwire #3 (Baseball Cards 1988 Topps) sells for about $75.00 versus $1.25 for a raw near-mint copy — a 60× premium as of Aug 18, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Mark McGwire #3?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $98.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $75.00. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Mark McGwire #3 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 #3 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Mark McGwire #3 breaks even when it gems about 64% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $8.50).
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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