Is Paul Skenes [Refractor] #229 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 2024 Topps Pristine · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 4.8× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Paul Skenes [Refractor] #229 sells for $134 against $28.00 raw: a $106 spread, 4.8× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($37.00) 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)
- $28.00
- PSA 10
- $134
- PSA 9
- $37.00
- Gem premium
- 4.8×
- 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 | $134 | +$80.50 | +$55.50 | −$44.50 |
| PSA 9 | $37.00 | −$16.00 | −$41.00 | −$141 |
| PSA 8 | $33.88 | −$19.12 | −$44.12 | −$144 |
Net = sale price − $28.00 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% | $61.13 | −$16.88 |
| 50% | $85.25 | +$7.25 |
| 75% | $109 | +$31.38 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 42%. 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 | $174 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $134 | −$40.50 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $80.00 | −$94.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $31.00 | −$143 | 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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Full set checklist →Grading Paul Skenes [Refractor] #229 — FAQ
Is Paul Skenes [Refractor] #229 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Paul Skenes [Refractor] #229 sells for $134 against $28.00 raw: a $106 spread, 4.8× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($37.00) 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 Paul Skenes [Refractor] #229 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Paul Skenes [Refractor] #229 (Baseball Cards 2024 Topps Pristine) sells for about $134 versus $28.00 for a raw near-mint copy — a 4.8× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Paul Skenes [Refractor] #229?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $174, ahead of PSA 10 at $134. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Paul Skenes [Refractor] #229 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 Paul Skenes [Refractor] #229 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Paul Skenes [Refractor] #229 breaks even when it gems about 42% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $37.00).
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