Ryan Barone (@ballcardgenius, Card Expert) is a lifelong member of the hobby. He has been quoted in PSA Magazine, and his content has regularly been mentioned in “Quick Rips” (the Topps RIPPED Newsletter) and across other hobby publications. hello@ballcardgenius.com; Last Time Ago LLC dba Ballcard Genius.
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Of the four Cal Ripken Jr. Rookie Cards in PSA 10 condition, 1982 Topps Traded #98T has the highest average sales value ($7.09K) over the last 365 days, while 1982 Donruss #405 has the highest PSA population (700).
| Cal Ripken Jr. Rookie Card | Avg. Sales | Sales # | PSA Pop | Find |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Ripken Jr. 1982 Topps Traded #98T | $7,087.49 | 42 | 407 | FIND ON EBAY |
| Cal Ripken Jr. 1982 Fleer #176 | $2,356.33 | 6 | 309 | FIND ON EBAY |
| Cal Ripken Jr. 1982 Topps #21 Future Stars | $1,903.17 | 29 | 545 | FIND ON EBAY |
| Cal Ripken Jr. 1982 Donruss #405 | $775.02 | 73 | 700 | FIND ON EBAY |
According to Market Movers data for cards sold over the last 365 days.
As you can see, that 1982 Donruss with the highest pop also has the lowest average sales price, and the highest number of sales.
So what can we do with this information? For anyone thinking about selling sports cards for profit, you want to consider some additional data. I’m actually in the market for a few raw cards that I can get graded, so I thought I’d take you through my thought process.
Let’s say you have a raw card that looks to be in great grading condition, and are thinking about your grading service. You’d probably want to start by taking a look at what “good” grades from other companies will result in.
Here is an example with the 1982 Donruss:
| Cal Ripken Jr. Rookie Card | Avg. Sales Price | # of Sales | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Ripken Jr. 1982 Donruss #405 | PSA 10 | $775 | FIND ON EBAY |
| Cal Ripken Jr. 1982 Donruss #405 | BGS 9.5 | $299 | FIND ON EBAY |
| Cal Ripken Jr. 1982 Donruss #405* | BGS 10 | $3,720 | FIND ON EBAY |
| Cal Ripken Jr. 1982 Donruss #405 | SGC 9.5 | $159 | FIND ON EBAY |
| Cal Ripken Jr. 1982 Donruss #405* | SGC 10 | $525 | FIND ON EBAY |
*I couldn’t find any sales over the last 365 days from Market Movers, but grabbed these sold values from Card Ladder. BGS 10 was sold in April 2022 and SGC 10 sold in August 2023.
As you can see, a BGS 10 has tremendous value, but when comparing PSA 10 and BGS 10, a 10 Pristine from BGS is a lot more difficult to achieve. So, depending on your confidence, you can shoot for the 10 if going with BGS, but you also need to be prepared that a 9.5 will be worth considerably less. Not to mention the opportunity cost of bypassing the potential of a PSA 10 which, let’s face it, is a real possibility if the card earns a BGS 9.5.
This is why when it comes to how much it costs to grade a card, there are so many variables to factor in. Sure, there might be cheaper and faster services, but a PSA 10 will usually reign supreme over a BGS 9.5 and an SGC 10.
Speaking of variables and factors, how much did it cost you to acquire the raw card? If you got it for free or for very little as part of a larger lot, you may be willing to take more chances. But if you paid a certain amount, you might be thinking differently.
Read More: Most Valuable Cal Ripken Jr. Cards
I’m personally in the market, and the cheapest 1982 Donruss Cal Ripken is available for around $10 plus shipping. One great thing about 1982 Donruss though is there is a clean border that makes it much easier to judge the centering. The bad thing about 1982 Donruss is that there are a lot of off-center cards!
So, going through it’s really a matter of finding a card in gradable condition at a cost that makes “worst-case scenario” grading worth it. That is, say you buy a card for $30 total shipped. You then pay $25 to have it graded and incur other costs to ship it out, etc. Let’s say you’re now into the card for $65 total and you think the worst PSA grade it can get is a 9, which averages around $80 according to Market Movers.
Is that worth it? If you feel the card truly has a shot at a 10, then probably.
All in all, grading is a game, and thus the question of whether or not you should grade a card can rarely be answered with a blanket “yes” or “no.”
