Is Sam Darnold [Red Yellow] #151 worth grading?

Football · Football Cards 2018 Donruss Optic · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A PSA 10 Sam Darnold [Red Yellow] #151 sells for $145 against $39.12 raw: a $106 spread, 3.7× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($79.00) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.

Raw (NM): $39.12
PSA 10: $145
PSA 9: $79.00
Gem premium: 3.7×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Sam Darnold [Red Yellow] #151: net result of grading versus selling raw, by outcome and fee tier
If it comes back…	Sells for	Economy / bulk (~$25.00)	Standard (~$50.00)	Express (~$150)
Gem — PSA 10	$145	+$80.88	+$55.88	−$44.12
PSA 9	$79.00	+$14.88	−$10.12	−$110
PSA 8	$71.69	+$7.57	−$17.43	−$117

Net = sale price − $39.12 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?

Sam Darnold [Red Yellow] #151: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$95.50	+$6.38
50%	$112	+$22.88
75%	$129	+$39.38

Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 15%. 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 →

Sam Darnold [Red Yellow] #151: top-grade value by grading company with centering tolerance
Grader	10 sells for	vs best	Front centering for a 10	Back
BGS 10	$189	best	55/45	70/30
PSA 10	$145	−$44.00	55/45	75/25
CGC 10	$80.00	−$109	55/45	75/25
SGC 10	$30.12	−$159	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 →

Sam Darnold [Red Yellow] #151 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	PSA	CGC	BGS	SGC	Graded
10	$145	$80.00	$189	$30.12	—
9.5	—	—	—	—	$79.70
9	—	—	—	—	$79.00
8	—	—	—	—	$71.69

Swipe the table for the other grading companies →

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.

Other 2018 Donruss Optic cards worth checking

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Baker Mayfield [Autograph Purple Stars] #153

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Josh Allen [Holo] #154

Raw $600PSA 10 $1,841

Josh Allen [Aqua] #154

Raw $803PSA 10 $1,595

Grading Sam Darnold [Red Yellow] #151 — FAQ

Is Sam Darnold [Red Yellow] #151 worth grading?

How much is a PSA 10 Sam Darnold [Red Yellow] #151 worth compared with raw?

A PSA 10 Sam Darnold [Red Yellow] #151 (Football Cards 2018 Donruss Optic) sells for about $145 versus $39.12 for a raw near-mint copy — a 3.7× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.

Which grading company is best for Sam Darnold [Red Yellow] #151?

By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $189, ahead of PSA 10 at $145. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.

What centering does Sam Darnold [Red Yellow] #151 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 Sam Darnold [Red Yellow] #151 break even?

At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Sam Darnold [Red Yellow] #151 breaks even when it gems about 15% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $79.00).

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