Is Tim Hardaway Refractor #3 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1997 Topps Chrome Season's Best · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 33× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Tim Hardaway Refractor #3 sells for $128 against $3.85 raw: a $124 spread, 33× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($20.00) 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)
- $3.85
- PSA 10
- $128
- PSA 9
- $20.00
- Gem premium
- 33×
- As of
- Jul 11, 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 | $128 | +$99.00 | +$74.00 | −$26.00 |
| PSA 9 | $20.00 | −$8.85 | −$33.85 | −$134 |
| PSA 8 | $13.32 | −$15.53 | −$40.53 | −$141 |
Net = sale price − $3.85 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% | $46.96 | −$6.89 |
| 50% | $73.92 | +$20.08 |
| 75% | $101 | +$47.04 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 31%. 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 | $166 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $128 | −$38.15 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $77.00 | −$89.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $77.00 | −$89.00 | 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.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | PSA | CGC | BGS | SGC | Graded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $128 | $77.00 | $166 | $77.00 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $46.87 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $20.00 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $13.32 |
Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other 1997 Topps Chrome Season's Best cards worth checking
Full set checklist →
![Charles Barkley [Refractor] #17 1997 Topps Chrome Season's Best card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/j6EAAOSwF75mRPYL/s-l500.jpg)
![Hakeem Olajuwon [Refractor] #23 1997 Topps Chrome Season's Best card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/IF0AAeSw1KlqWvMZ/s-l500.jpg)
![Reggie Miller [Refractor] #9 1997 Topps Chrome Season's Best card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/b7QAAeSwWEBqY-LN/s-l500.jpg)
![Allen Iverson [Refractor] #26 1997 Topps Chrome Season's Best card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Y8MAAeSwzoRpFPid/s-l500.jpg)
![Michael Jordan [Refractor] #6 1997 Topps Chrome Season's Best card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/OskAAeSwARVqcz4v/s-l500.jpg)
Grading Tim Hardaway Refractor #3 — FAQ
Is Tim Hardaway Refractor #3 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Tim Hardaway Refractor #3 sells for $128 against $3.85 raw: a $124 spread, 33× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($20.00) 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 Tim Hardaway Refractor #3 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Tim Hardaway Refractor #3 (Basketball Cards 1997 Topps Chrome Season's Best) sells for about $128 versus $3.85 for a raw near-mint copy — a 33× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Tim Hardaway Refractor #3?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $166, ahead of PSA 10 at $128. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Tim Hardaway Refractor #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 Tim Hardaway Refractor #3 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Tim Hardaway Refractor #3 breaks even when it gems about 31% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $20.00).
Is your basketball card centered well enough to grade?
Centering makes or breaks a PSA 10. Scan any card with Midpoint to measure its exact centering, get a grade estimate, and see what your copy is actually worth.
Check my card free