Is Nolan Ryan #14 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1990 Upper Deck Heroes - Reggie Jackson · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 69× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #14 sells for $84.06 against $1.21 raw: a $82.85 spread, 69× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.73) 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)
- $1.21
- PSA 10
- $84.06
- PSA 9
- $18.73
- Gem premium
- 69×
- 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 | $84.06 | +$57.85 | +$32.85 | −$67.15 |
| PSA 9 | $18.73 | −$7.48 | −$32.48 | −$132 |
| PSA 8 | $8.89 | −$17.32 | −$42.32 | −$142 |
Net = sale price − $1.21 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% | $35.06 | −$16.15 |
| 50% | $51.40 | +$0.19 |
| 75% | $67.73 | +$16.52 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 50%. 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 | $109 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $84.06 | −$24.94 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $50.00 | −$59.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $50.00 | −$59.00 | 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 Nolan Ryan #14 — FAQ
Is Nolan Ryan #14 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #14 sells for $84.06 against $1.21 raw: a $82.85 spread, 69× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.73) 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 Nolan Ryan #14 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Nolan Ryan #14 (Baseball Cards 1990 Upper Deck Heroes - Reggie Jackson) sells for about $84.06 versus $1.21 for a raw near-mint copy — a 69× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Nolan Ryan #14?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $109, ahead of PSA 10 at $84.06. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Nolan Ryan #14 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 Nolan Ryan #14 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Nolan Ryan #14 breaks even when it gems about 50% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $18.73).
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