Is Karl Malone #4 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1996 Topps Chrome Season's Best · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 28× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Karl Malone #4 sells for $159 against $5.62 raw: a $153 spread, 28× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.00) 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)
- $5.62
- PSA 10
- $159
- PSA 9
- $18.00
- Gem premium
- 28×
- 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 | $159 | +$128 | +$103 | +$3.39 |
| PSA 9 | $18.00 | −$12.62 | −$37.62 | −$138 |
| PSA 8 | $16.29 | −$14.33 | −$39.33 | −$139 |
Net = sale price − $5.62 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% | $53.25 | −$2.37 |
| 50% | $88.50 | +$32.88 |
| 75% | $124 | +$68.14 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 27%. 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 | $207 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $159 | −$47.99 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $95.00 | −$112 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $95.00 | −$112 | 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 Karl Malone #4 — FAQ
Is Karl Malone #4 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Karl Malone #4 sells for $159 against $5.62 raw: a $153 spread, 28× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.00) 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 Karl Malone #4 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Karl Malone #4 (Basketball Cards 1996 Topps Chrome Season's Best) sells for about $159 versus $5.62 for a raw near-mint copy — a 28× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Karl Malone #4?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $207, ahead of PSA 10 at $159. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Karl Malone #4 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 Karl Malone #4 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Karl Malone #4 breaks even when it gems about 27% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $18.00).
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