Is John Smoltz [Black] #AA-52 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 2023 Topps Update All Aces · full price guide →
Grading rarely pays for this card
PSA 10 copies of John Smoltz [Black] #AA-52 sell for $37.00, only $17.52 above the $19.48 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($34.00) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
- Raw (NM)
- $19.48
- PSA 10
- $37.00
- PSA 9
- $34.00
- Gem premium
- 1.9×
- 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 | $37.00 | −$7.48 | −$32.48 | −$132 |
| PSA 9 | $34.00 | −$10.48 | −$35.48 | −$135 |
| PSA 8 | $20.67 | −$23.81 | −$48.81 | −$149 |
Net = sale price − $19.48 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% | $34.75 | −$34.73 |
| 50% | $35.50 | −$33.98 |
| 75% | $36.25 | −$33.23 |
At the standard fee this submission does not break even at any realistic gem rate unless the miss lands above the 9 price.
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 | $48.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $37.00 | −$11.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $22.00 | −$26.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $22.00 | −$26.00 | 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 →Swipe the table for the other grading companies →
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Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
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Grading John Smoltz [Black] #AA-52 — FAQ
Is John Smoltz [Black] #AA-52 worth grading?
PSA 10 copies of John Smoltz [Black] #AA-52 sell for $37.00, only $17.52 above the $19.48 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($34.00) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
How much is a PSA 10 John Smoltz [Black] #AA-52 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 John Smoltz [Black] #AA-52 (Baseball Cards 2023 Topps Update All Aces) sells for about $37.00 versus $19.48 for a raw near-mint copy — a 1.9× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for John Smoltz [Black] #AA-52?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $48.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $37.00. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does John Smoltz [Black] #AA-52 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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