Is Otis Thorpe #109 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1987 Fleer · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 73× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Otis Thorpe #109 sells for $139 against $1.90 raw: a $137 spread, 73× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($25.53) 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)
- $1.90
- PSA 10
- $139
- PSA 9
- $25.53
- Gem premium
- 73×
- 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 | $139 | +$112 | +$87.26 | −$12.74 |
| PSA 9 | $25.53 | −$1.37 | −$26.37 | −$126 |
| PSA 8 | $19.97 | −$6.93 | −$31.93 | −$132 |
Net = sale price − $1.90 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% | $53.94 | +$2.04 |
| 50% | $82.34 | +$30.44 |
| 75% | $111 | +$58.85 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 23%. 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 | $181 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $139 | −$41.84 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $84.00 | −$97.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $84.00 | −$97.00 | 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 | $139 | $84.00 | $181 | $84.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $39.99 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $25.53 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $19.97 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $6.70 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Otis Thorpe #109 — FAQ
Is Otis Thorpe #109 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Otis Thorpe #109 sells for $139 against $1.90 raw: a $137 spread, 73× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($25.53) 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 Otis Thorpe #109 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Otis Thorpe #109 (Basketball Cards 1987 Fleer) sells for about $139 versus $1.90 for a raw near-mint copy — a 73× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Otis Thorpe #109?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $181, ahead of PSA 10 at $139. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Otis Thorpe #109 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 Otis Thorpe #109 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Otis Thorpe #109 breaks even when it gems about 23% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $25.53).
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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