Is Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant #EW5 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 1998 Topps East West · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A PSA 10 Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant #EW5 sells for $10,229 against $798 raw: a $9,432 spread, 13× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($3,881) 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): $798
PSA 10: $10,229
PSA 9: $3,881
Gem premium: 13×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant #EW5: 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	$10,229	+$9,407	+$9,382	+$9,282
PSA 9	$3,881	+$3,058	+$3,033	+$2,933
PSA 8	$1,718	+$895	+$870	+$770

Net = sale price − $798 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?

Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant #EW5: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$5,468	+$4,620
50%	$7,055	+$6,207
75%	$8,642	+$7,795

Even a miss (a 9) beats selling raw after the standard fee — the gem rate only decides how much you win by.

Which grader pays the most — and what a 10 takes

All centering standards →

Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant #EW5: top-grade value by grading company with centering tolerance
Grader	10 sells for	vs best	Front centering for a 10	Back
BGS 10	$13,298	best	55/45	70/30
PSA 10	$10,229	−$3,069	55/45	75/25
CGC 10	$6,138	−$7,160	55/45	75/25
SGC 10	$1,064	−$12,234	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 →

Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant #EW5 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	PSA	CGC	BGS	SGC	Graded
10	$10,229	$6,138	$13,298	$1,064	—
9.5	—	—	—	—	$4,269
9	—	—	—	—	$3,881
8	—	—	—	—	$1,718
7	—	—	—	—	$700

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 1998 Topps East West cards worth checking

Full set checklist →

$Brevin Knight, Stephon Marbury [Refractor] #EW12 1998 Topps East West card$

Brevin Knight, Stephon Marbury [Refractor] #EW12

Raw $61.14PSA 10 $1,250

$Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant [Refractor] #EW5 1998 Topps East West card$

Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant [Refractor] #EW5

Raw $1,000PSA 10 $19,330

$Antoine Walker, Shareef Abdur Rahim [Refractor] #EW1 1998 Topps East West card$

Antoine Walker, Shareef Abdur Rahim [Refractor] #EW1

Raw $55.75PSA 10 $730

$Dikembe Mutombo, Hakeem Olajuwon [Refractor] #EW7 1998 Topps East West card$

Dikembe Mutombo, Hakeem Olajuwon [Refractor] #EW7

Raw $89.06PSA 10 $811

$Reggie Miller, Jim Jackson [Refractor] #EW20 1998 Topps East West card$

Reggie Miller, Jim Jackson [Refractor] #EW20

Raw $99.43PSA 10 $750

$Patrick Ewing, David Robinson [Refractor] #EW10 1998 Topps East West card$

Patrick Ewing, David Robinson [Refractor] #EW10

Raw $119PSA 10 $860

Grading Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant #EW5 — FAQ

Is Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant #EW5 worth grading?

How much is a PSA 10 Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant #EW5 worth compared with raw?

A PSA 10 Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant #EW5 (Basketball Cards 1998 Topps East West) sells for about $10,229 versus $798 for a raw near-mint copy — a 13× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.

Which grading company is best for Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant #EW5?

By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $13,298, ahead of PSA 10 at $10,229. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.

What centering does Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant #EW5 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.

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