Is Mike Schmidt #8 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1988 Topps Rite-Aid Team MVP's · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 38× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Mike Schmidt #8 sells for $58.50 against $1.55 raw: a $56.95 spread, 38× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($22.64) 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)
- $1.55
- PSA 10
- $58.50
- PSA 9
- $22.64
- Gem premium
- 38×
- As of
- Sep 4, 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 | $58.50 | +$31.95 | +$6.95 | −$93.05 |
| PSA 9 | $22.64 | −$3.91 | −$28.91 | −$129 |
| PSA 8 | $10.52 | −$16.03 | −$41.03 | −$141 |
Net = sale price − $1.55 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% | $31.61 | −$19.95 |
| 50% | $40.57 | −$10.98 |
| 75% | $49.53 | −$2.02 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 81%. 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 | $76.00 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $58.50 | −$17.50 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $35.00 | −$41.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $35.00 | −$41.00 | 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.
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Grading Mike Schmidt #8 — FAQ
Is Mike Schmidt #8 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Mike Schmidt #8 sells for $58.50 against $1.55 raw: a $56.95 spread, 38× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($22.64) 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 Mike Schmidt #8 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Mike Schmidt #8 (Baseball Cards 1988 Topps Rite-Aid Team MVP's) sells for about $58.50 versus $1.55 for a raw near-mint copy — a 38× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Mike Schmidt #8?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $76.00, ahead of PSA 10 at $58.50. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Mike Schmidt #8 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 Mike Schmidt #8 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Mike Schmidt #8 breaks even when it gems about 81% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $22.64).
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