Is Lonnie Shelton #83 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1979 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 357× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Lonnie Shelton #83 sells for $550 against $1.54 raw: a $548 spread, 357× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.50) 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)
- $1.54
- PSA 10
- $550
- PSA 9
- $21.50
- Gem premium
- 357×
- 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 | $550 | +$523 | +$498 | +$398 |
| PSA 9 | $21.50 | −$5.04 | −$30.04 | −$130 |
| PSA 8 | $19.99 | −$6.55 | −$31.55 | −$132 |
Net = sale price − $1.54 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% | $154 | +$102 |
| 50% | $286 | +$234 |
| 75% | $418 | +$366 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 6%. 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 | $715 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $550 | −$165 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $330 | −$385 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $330 | −$385 | 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 | $550 | $330 | $715 | $330 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $55.21 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $21.50 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $19.99 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $2.99 |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other 1979 Topps cards worth checking
Full set checklist →Grading Lonnie Shelton #83 — FAQ
Is Lonnie Shelton #83 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Lonnie Shelton #83 sells for $550 against $1.54 raw: a $548 spread, 357× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($21.50) 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 Lonnie Shelton #83 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Lonnie Shelton #83 (Basketball Cards 1979 Topps) sells for about $550 versus $1.54 for a raw near-mint copy — a 357× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Lonnie Shelton #83?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $715, ahead of PSA 10 at $550. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Lonnie Shelton #83 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 #83 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Lonnie Shelton #83 breaks even when it gems about 6% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $21.50).
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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