Is Rich Jones #242 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1974 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 942× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Rich Jones #242 sells for $1,300 against $1.38 raw: a $1,299 spread, 942× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($23.50) 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)
- $1.38
- PSA 10
- $1,300
- PSA 9
- $23.50
- Gem premium
- 942×
- As of
- Sep 3, 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 | $1,300 | +$1,274 | +$1,249 | +$1,149 |
| PSA 9 | $23.50 | −$2.88 | −$27.88 | −$128 |
| PSA 8 | $4.82 | −$21.56 | −$46.56 | −$147 |
Net = sale price − $1.38 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% | $343 | +$291 |
| 50% | $662 | +$610 |
| 75% | $981 | +$929 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 2%. 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 | $1,690 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $1,300 | −$390 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $780 | −$910 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $780 | −$910 | 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 Rich Jones #242 — FAQ
Is Rich Jones #242 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Rich Jones #242 sells for $1,300 against $1.38 raw: a $1,299 spread, 942× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($23.50) 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 Rich Jones #242 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Rich Jones #242 (Basketball Cards 1974 Topps) sells for about $1,300 versus $1.38 for a raw near-mint copy — a 942× premium as of Sep 3, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Rich Jones #242?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $1,690, ahead of PSA 10 at $1,300. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Rich Jones #242 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 Rich Jones #242 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Rich Jones #242 breaks even when it gems about 2% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $23.50).
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