Is Billy Swift #404 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1985 Topps · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 51× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Billy Swift #404 sells for $79.99 against $1.57 raw: a $78.42 spread, 51× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($13.95) 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)
- $1.57
- PSA 10
- $79.99
- PSA 9
- $13.95
- Gem premium
- 51×
- As of
- Sep 2, 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 | $79.99 | +$53.42 | +$28.42 | −$71.58 |
| PSA 9 | $13.95 | −$12.62 | −$37.62 | −$138 |
| PSA 8 | $11.48 | −$15.09 | −$40.09 | −$140 |
Net = sale price − $1.57 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% | $30.46 | −$21.11 |
| 50% | $46.97 | −$4.60 |
| 75% | $63.48 | +$11.91 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 57%. 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 | $104 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $79.99 | −$24.01 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $48.00 | −$56.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $48.00 | −$56.00 | 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 Billy Swift #404 — FAQ
Is Billy Swift #404 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Billy Swift #404 sells for $79.99 against $1.57 raw: a $78.42 spread, 51× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($13.95) 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 Billy Swift #404 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Billy Swift #404 (Baseball Cards 1985 Topps) sells for about $79.99 versus $1.57 for a raw near-mint copy — a 51× premium as of Sep 2, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Billy Swift #404?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $104, ahead of PSA 10 at $79.99. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Billy Swift #404 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 Billy Swift #404 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Billy Swift #404 breaks even when it gems about 57% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $13.95).
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