Is Dikembe Mutombo #21 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1996 Topps Chrome Season's Best · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 37× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Dikembe Mutombo #21 sells for $82.47 against $2.24 raw: a $80.23 spread, 37× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.25) 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)
- $2.24
- PSA 10
- $82.47
- PSA 9
- $19.25
- Gem premium
- 37×
- 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 | $82.47 | +$55.23 | +$30.23 | −$69.77 |
| PSA 9 | $19.25 | −$7.99 | −$32.99 | −$133 |
| PSA 8 | $9.59 | −$17.65 | −$42.65 | −$143 |
Net = sale price − $2.24 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% | $35.05 | −$17.19 |
| 50% | $50.86 | −$1.38 |
| 75% | $66.66 | +$14.42 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 52%. 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 | $107 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $82.47 | −$24.53 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $49.00 | −$58.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $49.00 | −$58.00 | 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 Dikembe Mutombo #21 — FAQ
Is Dikembe Mutombo #21 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Dikembe Mutombo #21 sells for $82.47 against $2.24 raw: a $80.23 spread, 37× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($19.25) 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 Dikembe Mutombo #21 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Dikembe Mutombo #21 (Basketball Cards 1996 Topps Chrome Season's Best) sells for about $82.47 versus $2.24 for a raw near-mint copy — a 37× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Dikembe Mutombo #21?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $107, ahead of PSA 10 at $82.47. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Dikembe Mutombo #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 Dikembe Mutombo #21 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Dikembe Mutombo #21 breaks even when it gems about 52% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $19.25).
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