Is Tim Duncan #R1 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1997 Upper Deck Rookie Discovery I · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 25× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Tim Duncan #R1 sells for $79.69 against $3.25 raw: a $76.44 spread, 25× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.75) 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)
- $3.25
- PSA 10
- $79.69
- PSA 9
- $19.75
- Gem premium
- 25×
- As of
- Sep 4, 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 | $79.69 | +$51.44 | +$26.44 | −$73.56 |
| PSA 9 | $19.75 | −$8.50 | −$33.50 | −$134 |
| PSA 8 | $12.65 | −$15.60 | −$40.60 | −$141 |
Net = sale price − $3.25 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% | $34.73 | −$18.52 |
| 50% | $49.72 | −$3.53 |
| 75% | $64.70 | +$11.45 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 56%. 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 | $104 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $79.69 | −$24.31 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $48.00 | −$56.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $48.00 | −$56.00 | 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.
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Grading Tim Duncan #R1 — FAQ
Is Tim Duncan #R1 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Tim Duncan #R1 sells for $79.69 against $3.25 raw: a $76.44 spread, 25× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.75) 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 Tim Duncan #R1 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Tim Duncan #R1 (Basketball Cards 1997 Upper Deck Rookie Discovery I) sells for about $79.69 versus $3.25 for a raw near-mint copy — a 25× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Tim Duncan #R1?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $104, ahead of PSA 10 at $79.69. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Tim Duncan #R1 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 Tim Duncan #R1 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Tim Duncan #R1 breaks even when it gems about 56% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $19.75).
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