Is David Ortiz #HL-40 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 2025 Topps Heavy Lumber · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 4.7× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 David Ortiz #HL-40 sells for $170 against $36.00 raw: a $134 spread, 4.7× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($50.00) 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)
- $36.00
- PSA 10
- $170
- PSA 9
- $50.00
- Gem premium
- 4.7×
- 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 | $170 | +$109 | +$84.00 | −$16.00 |
| PSA 9 | $50.00 | −$11.00 | −$36.00 | −$136 |
| PSA 8 | $36.50 | −$24.50 | −$49.50 | −$150 |
Net = sale price − $36.00 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% | $80.00 | −$6.00 |
| 50% | $110 | +$24.00 |
| 75% | $140 | +$54.00 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 30%. 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 | $221 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $170 | −$51.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $102 | −$119 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $102 | −$119 | 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 | $170 | $102 | $221 | $102 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $119 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $50.00 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $36.50 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading David Ortiz #HL-40 — FAQ
Is David Ortiz #HL-40 worth grading?
A PSA 10 David Ortiz #HL-40 sells for $170 against $36.00 raw: a $134 spread, 4.7× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($50.00) 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 David Ortiz #HL-40 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 David Ortiz #HL-40 (Baseball Cards 2025 Topps Heavy Lumber) sells for about $170 versus $36.00 for a raw near-mint copy — a 4.7× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for David Ortiz #HL-40?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $221, ahead of PSA 10 at $170. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does David Ortiz #HL-40 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 David Ortiz #HL-40 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting David Ortiz #HL-40 breaks even when it gems about 30% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $50.00).
Is your baseball 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.
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