Is Ollie Johnson #51 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1975 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 125× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Ollie Johnson #51 sells for $167 against $1.33 raw: a $166 spread, 125× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($15.31) 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)
- $1.33
- PSA 10
- $167
- PSA 9
- $15.31
- Gem premium
- 125×
- As of
- Jul 11, 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 | $167 | +$141 | +$116 | +$15.57 |
| PSA 9 | $15.31 | −$11.02 | −$36.02 | −$136 |
| PSA 8 | $8.21 | −$18.12 | −$43.12 | −$143 |
Net = sale price − $1.33 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% | $53.21 | +$1.88 |
| 50% | $91.11 | +$39.78 |
| 75% | $129 | +$77.67 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 24%. 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 | $217 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $167 | −$50.10 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $100 | −$117 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $100 | −$117 | 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 →| Grade | PSA | CGC | BGS | SGC | Graded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $167 | $100 | $217 | $100 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $56.94 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $15.31 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $8.21 |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
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Grading Ollie Johnson #51 — FAQ
Is Ollie Johnson #51 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Ollie Johnson #51 sells for $167 against $1.33 raw: a $166 spread, 125× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($15.31) 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 Ollie Johnson #51 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Ollie Johnson #51 (Basketball Cards 1975 Topps) sells for about $167 versus $1.33 for a raw near-mint copy — a 125× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Ollie Johnson #51?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $217, ahead of PSA 10 at $167. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Ollie Johnson #51 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 Ollie Johnson #51 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Ollie Johnson #51 breaks even when it gems about 24% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $15.31).
Is your basketball card centered well enough to grade?
Centering makes or breaks a PSA 10. Scan any card with Midpoint to measure its exact centering, get a grade estimate, and see what your copy is actually worth.
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