Is Shaquille O'Neal #280 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1994 Finest · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 11× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Shaquille O'Neal #280 sells for $94.60 against $8.36 raw: a $86.24 spread, 11× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($33.00) 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)
- $8.36
- PSA 10
- $94.60
- PSA 9
- $33.00
- Gem premium
- 11×
- 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 | $94.60 | +$61.24 | +$36.24 | −$63.76 |
| PSA 9 | $33.00 | −$0.36 | −$25.36 | −$125 |
| PSA 8 | $30.00 | −$3.36 | −$28.36 | −$128 |
Net = sale price − $8.36 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% | $48.40 | −$9.96 |
| 50% | $63.80 | +$5.44 |
| 75% | $79.20 | +$20.84 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 41%. 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 | $123 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $94.60 | −$28.40 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $57.00 | −$66.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $57.00 | −$66.00 | 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 Shaquille O'Neal #280 — FAQ
Is Shaquille O'Neal #280 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Shaquille O'Neal #280 sells for $94.60 against $8.36 raw: a $86.24 spread, 11× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($33.00) 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 Shaquille O'Neal #280 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Shaquille O'Neal #280 (Basketball Cards 1994 Finest) sells for about $94.60 versus $8.36 for a raw near-mint copy — a 11× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Shaquille O'Neal #280?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $123, ahead of PSA 10 at $94.60. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Shaquille O'Neal #280 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 #280 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Shaquille O'Neal #280 breaks even when it gems about 41% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $33.00).
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