Is Lonnie Shelton #66 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1978 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 50× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Lonnie Shelton #66 sells for $124 against $2.47 raw: a $122 spread, 50× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.43) 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)
- $2.47
- PSA 10
- $124
- PSA 9
- $16.43
- Gem premium
- 50×
- 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 | $124 | +$96.78 | +$71.78 | −$28.22 |
| PSA 9 | $16.43 | −$11.04 | −$36.04 | −$136 |
| PSA 8 | $13.76 | −$13.71 | −$38.71 | −$139 |
Net = sale price − $2.47 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% | $43.38 | −$9.09 |
| 50% | $70.34 | +$17.87 |
| 75% | $97.30 | +$44.83 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 33%. 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 | $162 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $124 | −$37.75 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $75.00 | −$87.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $75.00 | −$87.00 | 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.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | PSA | CGC | BGS | SGC | Graded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $124 | $75.00 | $162 | $75.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $70.45 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $16.43 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $13.76 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Lonnie Shelton #66 — FAQ
Is Lonnie Shelton #66 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Lonnie Shelton #66 sells for $124 against $2.47 raw: a $122 spread, 50× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($16.43) 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 Lonnie Shelton #66 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Lonnie Shelton #66 (Basketball Cards 1978 Topps) sells for about $124 versus $2.47 for a raw near-mint copy — a 50× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Lonnie Shelton #66?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $162, ahead of PSA 10 at $124. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Lonnie Shelton #66 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 Lonnie Shelton #66 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Lonnie Shelton #66 breaks even when it gems about 33% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $16.43).
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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