Is Shaquille O'Neal #5 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1999 Skybox E-X E-Xciting · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 22× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Shaquille O'Neal #5 sells for $785 against $35.50 raw: a $749 spread, 22× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($58.09) 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)
- $35.50
- PSA 10
- $785
- PSA 9
- $58.09
- Gem premium
- 22×
- 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 | $785 | +$724 | +$699 | +$599 |
| PSA 9 | $58.09 | −$2.41 | −$27.41 | −$127 |
| PSA 8 | $46.13 | −$14.37 | −$39.37 | −$139 |
Net = sale price − $35.50 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% | $240 | +$154 |
| 50% | $421 | +$336 |
| 75% | $603 | +$518 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 4%. 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 | $1,020 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $785 | −$235 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $471 | −$549 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $471 | −$549 | 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 Shaquille O'Neal #5 — FAQ
Is Shaquille O'Neal #5 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Shaquille O'Neal #5 sells for $785 against $35.50 raw: a $749 spread, 22× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($58.09) 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 Shaquille O'Neal #5 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Shaquille O'Neal #5 (Basketball Cards 1999 Skybox E-X E-Xciting) sells for about $785 versus $35.50 for a raw near-mint copy — a 22× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Shaquille O'Neal #5?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $1,020, ahead of PSA 10 at $785. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Shaquille O'Neal #5 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 Shaquille O'Neal #5 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Shaquille O'Neal #5 breaks even when it gems about 4% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $58.09).
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