Is Mark McGwire [Bronze] #135 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1998 Topps Stars · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 34× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Mark McGwire [Bronze] #135 sells for $90.65 against $2.65 raw: a $88.00 spread, 34× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($12.50) 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)
- $2.65
- PSA 10
- $90.65
- PSA 9
- $12.50
- Gem premium
- 34×
- 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 | $90.65 | +$63.00 | +$38.00 | −$62.00 |
| PSA 9 | $12.50 | −$15.15 | −$40.15 | −$140 |
| PSA 8 | $10.35 | −$17.30 | −$42.30 | −$142 |
Net = sale price − $2.65 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% | $32.04 | −$20.61 |
| 50% | $51.58 | −$1.07 |
| 75% | $71.11 | +$18.46 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 51%. 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 | $118 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $90.65 | −$27.35 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $54.00 | −$64.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $54.00 | −$64.00 | 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 Mark McGwire [Bronze] #135 — FAQ
Is Mark McGwire [Bronze] #135 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Mark McGwire [Bronze] #135 sells for $90.65 against $2.65 raw: a $88.00 spread, 34× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($12.50) 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 Mark McGwire [Bronze] #135 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Mark McGwire [Bronze] #135 (Baseball Cards 1998 Topps Stars) sells for about $90.65 versus $2.65 for a raw near-mint copy — a 34× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Mark McGwire [Bronze] #135?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $118, ahead of PSA 10 at $90.65. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Mark McGwire [Bronze] #135 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 Mark McGwire [Bronze] #135 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Mark McGwire [Bronze] #135 breaks even when it gems about 51% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $12.50).
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