Is Ty Cobb [Portrait-Red] worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 1909 T206 Piedmont 350 · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A PSA 10 Ty Cobb [Portrait-Red] sells for $3,315,347 against $5,033 raw: a $3,310,315 spread, 659× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($491,806) 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): $5,033
PSA 10: $3,315,347
PSA 9: $491,806
Gem premium: 659×
As of: Oct 9, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Ty Cobb [Portrait-Red]: 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	$3,315,347	+$3,310,290	+$3,310,265	+$3,310,165
PSA 9	$491,806	+$486,749	+$486,724	+$486,624
PSA 8	$180,786	+$175,728	+$175,703	+$175,603

Net = sale price − $5,033 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?

Ty Cobb [Portrait-Red]: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$1,197,692	+$1,192,609
50%	$1,903,577	+$1,898,494
75%	$2,609,462	+$2,604,379

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 →

Ty Cobb [Portrait-Red]: top-grade value by grading company with centering tolerance
Grader	10 sells for	vs best	Front centering for a 10	Back
BGS 10	$4,309,951	best	55/45	70/30
PSA 10	$3,315,347	−$994,604	55/45	75/25
CGC 10	$1,989,208	−$2,320,743	55/45	75/25
SGC 10	$1,989,208	−$2,320,743	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 →

Ty Cobb [Portrait-Red] graded prices by company and grade
Grade	PSA	CGC	BGS	SGC	Graded
10	$3,315,347	$1,989,208	$4,309,951	$1,989,208	—
9.5	—	—	—	—	$922,239
9	—	—	—	—	$491,806
8	—	—	—	—	$180,786

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 1909 T206 Piedmont 350 cards worth checking

Full set checklist →

Ty Cobb [Bat off Shoulder]

Raw $3,207Graded $957,000

Christy Mathewson [Dark Cap]

Raw $1,156Graded $50,000

Chief Bender [Portrait]

Raw $453Graded $20,740

Johnny Evers [With Bat]

Raw $769Graded $20,400

Fred Beck

Raw $43.07Graded $15,000

Clark Griffith [Portrait]

Raw $139Graded $14,400

Grading Ty Cobb [Portrait-Red] — FAQ

Is Ty Cobb [Portrait-Red] worth grading?

How much is a PSA 10 Ty Cobb [Portrait-Red] worth compared with raw?

A PSA 10 Ty Cobb [Portrait-Red] (Baseball Cards 1909 T206 Piedmont 350) sells for about $3,315,347 versus $5,033 for a raw near-mint copy — a 659× premium as of Oct 9, 2026.

Which grading company is best for Ty Cobb [Portrait-Red]?

By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $4,309,951, ahead of PSA 10 at $3,315,347. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.

What centering does Ty Cobb [Portrait-Red] 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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