Is Kirby Puckett #21 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1988 Topps Rite-Aid Team MVP's · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 81× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Kirby Puckett #21 sells for $80.61 against $0.99 raw: a $79.62 spread, 81× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.07) 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)
- $0.99
- PSA 10
- $80.61
- PSA 9
- $18.07
- Gem premium
- 81×
- 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 | $80.61 | +$54.62 | +$29.62 | −$70.38 |
| PSA 9 | $18.07 | −$7.92 | −$32.92 | −$133 |
| PSA 8 | $8.52 | −$17.47 | −$42.47 | −$142 |
Net = sale price − $0.99 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% | $33.70 | −$17.29 |
| 50% | $49.34 | −$1.65 |
| 75% | $64.97 | +$13.98 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 53%. 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 | $105 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $80.61 | −$24.39 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $48.00 | −$57.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $48.00 | −$57.00 | 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 Kirby Puckett #21 — FAQ
Is Kirby Puckett #21 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Kirby Puckett #21 sells for $80.61 against $0.99 raw: a $79.62 spread, 81× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.07) 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 Kirby Puckett #21 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Kirby Puckett #21 (Baseball Cards 1988 Topps Rite-Aid Team MVP's) sells for about $80.61 versus $0.99 for a raw near-mint copy — a 81× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Kirby Puckett #21?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $105, ahead of PSA 10 at $80.61. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Kirby Puckett #21 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 Kirby Puckett #21 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Kirby Puckett #21 breaks even when it gems about 53% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $18.07).
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