Is Shaquille O'Neal #3 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1999 Fleer Force Forceful · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 26× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Shaquille O'Neal #3 sells for $132 against $5.00 raw: a $127 spread, 26× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($28.45) 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)
- $5.00
- PSA 10
- $132
- PSA 9
- $28.45
- Gem premium
- 26×
- 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 | $132 | +$102 | +$76.88 | −$23.12 |
| PSA 9 | $28.45 | −$1.55 | −$26.55 | −$127 |
| PSA 8 | $14.41 | −$15.59 | −$40.59 | −$141 |
Net = sale price − $5.00 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% | $54.31 | −$0.69 |
| 50% | $80.16 | +$25.16 |
| 75% | $106 | +$51.02 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 26%. 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 | $171 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $132 | −$39.12 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $79.00 | −$92.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $79.00 | −$92.00 | 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 #3 — FAQ
Is Shaquille O'Neal #3 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Shaquille O'Neal #3 sells for $132 against $5.00 raw: a $127 spread, 26× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($28.45) 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 #3 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Shaquille O'Neal #3 (Basketball Cards 1999 Fleer Force Forceful) sells for about $132 versus $5.00 for a raw near-mint copy — a 26× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Shaquille O'Neal #3?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $171, ahead of PSA 10 at $132. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Shaquille O'Neal #3 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 #3 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Shaquille O'Neal #3 breaks even when it gems about 26% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $28.45).
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