Is Ron Lee #97 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1978 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 82× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Ron Lee #97 sells for $123 against $1.50 raw: a $121 spread, 82× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.53) 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)
- $1.50
- PSA 10
- $123
- PSA 9
- $18.53
- Gem premium
- 82×
- 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 | $123 | +$96.25 | +$71.25 | −$28.75 |
| PSA 9 | $18.53 | −$7.97 | −$32.97 | −$133 |
| PSA 8 | $6.55 | −$19.95 | −$44.95 | −$145 |
Net = sale price − $1.50 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% | $44.59 | −$6.91 |
| 50% | $70.64 | +$19.14 |
| 75% | $96.69 | +$45.19 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 32%. 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 | $160 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $123 | −$37.25 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $74.00 | −$86.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $74.00 | −$86.00 | 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 | $123 | $74.00 | $160 | $74.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $56.27 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $18.53 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $6.55 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Ron Lee #97 — FAQ
Is Ron Lee #97 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Ron Lee #97 sells for $123 against $1.50 raw: a $121 spread, 82× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.53) 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 Ron Lee #97 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Ron Lee #97 (Basketball Cards 1978 Topps) sells for about $123 versus $1.50 for a raw near-mint copy — a 82× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Ron Lee #97?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $160, ahead of PSA 10 at $123. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Ron Lee #97 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 Ron Lee #97 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Ron Lee #97 breaks even when it gems about 32% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $18.53).
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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