Is Mike Piazza #M12 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1996 Topps Mystery Finest · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 43× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Mike Piazza #M12 sells for $88.41 against $2.08 raw: a $86.33 spread, 43× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($25.00) 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)
- $2.08
- PSA 10
- $88.41
- PSA 9
- $25.00
- Gem premium
- 43×
- 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 | $88.41 | +$61.33 | +$36.33 | −$63.67 |
| PSA 9 | $25.00 | −$2.08 | −$27.08 | −$127 |
| PSA 8 | $22.40 | −$4.68 | −$29.68 | −$130 |
Net = sale price − $2.08 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% | $40.85 | −$11.23 |
| 50% | $56.70 | +$4.63 |
| 75% | $72.56 | +$20.48 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 43%. 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 | $115 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $88.41 | −$26.59 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $53.00 | −$62.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $53.00 | −$62.00 | 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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Other 1996 Topps Mystery Finest cards worth checking
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Grading Mike Piazza #M12 — FAQ
Is Mike Piazza #M12 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Mike Piazza #M12 sells for $88.41 against $2.08 raw: a $86.33 spread, 43× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($25.00) 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 Mike Piazza #M12 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Mike Piazza #M12 (Baseball Cards 1996 Topps Mystery Finest) sells for about $88.41 versus $2.08 for a raw near-mint copy — a 43× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Mike Piazza #M12?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $115, ahead of PSA 10 at $88.41. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Mike Piazza #M12 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 Mike Piazza #M12 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Mike Piazza #M12 breaks even when it gems about 43% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $25.00).
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