Is Cal Ripken Jr #2 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1996 Pinnacle Aficionado Slick Picks · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 38× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr #2 sells for $87.51 against $2.30 raw: a $85.21 spread, 38× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.84) 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)
- $2.30
- PSA 10
- $87.51
- PSA 9
- $19.84
- Gem premium
- 38×
- 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 | $87.51 | +$60.21 | +$35.21 | −$64.79 |
| PSA 9 | $19.84 | −$7.46 | −$32.46 | −$132 |
| PSA 8 | $9.72 | −$17.58 | −$42.58 | −$143 |
Net = sale price − $2.30 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% | $36.76 | −$15.54 |
| 50% | $53.68 | +$1.38 |
| 75% | $70.59 | +$18.29 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 48%. 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 | $114 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $87.51 | −$26.49 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $53.00 | −$61.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $53.00 | −$61.00 | 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 Cal Ripken Jr #2 — FAQ
Is Cal Ripken Jr #2 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr #2 sells for $87.51 against $2.30 raw: a $85.21 spread, 38× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.84) 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 Cal Ripken Jr #2 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Cal Ripken Jr #2 (Baseball Cards 1996 Pinnacle Aficionado Slick Picks) sells for about $87.51 versus $2.30 for a raw near-mint copy — a 38× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Cal Ripken Jr #2?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $114, ahead of PSA 10 at $87.51. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Cal Ripken Jr #2 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 Cal Ripken Jr #2 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Cal Ripken Jr #2 breaks even when it gems about 48% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $19.84).
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