In the world of collecting graded cards, the smallest details matter. Big-time.
While two cards might appear identical to the naked eye, the smallest of dings can move a gem-mint 10 down to a 9.
That slight scuff on the surface? It could cost you a half-million bucks.
A minor centering issues? Suddenly, your grail is worth 10% of what it would have yielded in the highest grade.
Over the weekend, cllct's Darren Rovell shared a post on X about the delta for a Roberto Clemente rookie card. A PSA 9 sold for $1.15 million, while a PSA 7 fetched just $9,000. Keep in mind, these cards both sold this weekend, and the differences in the cards' conditions might be indiscernible to the non-expert eye.
That got the team at cllct to ponder: What is the delta between a single grading point for some of the most recognizable cards in the hobby?
We look at 10 examples here (all sales data from Card Ladder):
1954 Topps Hank Aaron
- PSA 9, record sale: $720,000
- PSA 8, record sale: $100,000
- PSA 9, recent sale: $384,000
- PSA 8, recent sale: $46,000
There are just two PSA 10 examples of Aaron’s 1954 Topps rookie card, and the last sale came back in 2012.
Recent sales of PSA 9 and PSA 8 examples show the 9 holding a more than 800% premium over the 8.
1986 Topps Jerry Rice
- PSA 10, record sale: $125,655
- PSA 9, record sale: $24,000
- PSA 10, recent sale: $84,000
- PSA 9, recent sale: $2,193
The green border on Rice’s 1986 Topps rookie makes it stand out in a crowd, but it also makes it extremely difficult to find in high grades.
There are just 63 PSA 10 examples, and they carry an extreme premium over lower grades.
1980 Topps Rickey Henderson
- PSA 10, record sale: $180,100
- PSA 9, record sale: $6,500
- PSA 10, recent sale: $126,000
- PSA 9, recent sale: $2,000
Another condition-sensitive card from the early 1980s, Henderson’s Topps rookie has just 26 PSA 10 examples — but more than 2,300 PSA 9s.
2024 Prizm Caitlin Clark Rookie Variation
- PSA 10, record sale: $3,500
- PSA 9, record sale: $425
- PSA 10, recent sale: $1,972
- PSA 9, recent sale: $320
Ultra-modern cards can have large price deltas between grades, too, and this Clark image variation is a good example — even if the price difference isn’t truly stunning.
There are 55 PSA 10 copies but more than 450 PSA 9s.
2003 NetPro Serena Williams Glossy
- PSA 10, record sale: $96,000
- PSA 9, record sale: $27,600
- PSA 10, recent sale: $19,800
- PSA 9, recent sale: $3,600
This Williams example features an interesting dynamic because there are actually more PSA 10 (44) examples than PSA 9s (30).
The card is limited to just 100 total copies, however, so the gem-mint grade still carries a heavy premium.
1986 Topps Steve Young
- PSA 10, record sale: $120,000
- PSA 9, record sale: $3,000
- PSA 10, recent sale: $120,000
- PSA 9, recent sale: $1,375
Young’s 1986 rookie is a good example where even PSA 9s are extremely hard to come by. There are just eight PSA 10 examples and fewer than 200 PSA 9 copies. There are more than 8,000 split between PSA 8s and PSA 7s.
1993 SP Derek Jeter Foil
- PSA 10, record sale: $600,000
- PSA 9, record sale: $35,000
- PSA 10, recent sale: $324,000
- PSA 9, recent sale: $3,466
The Foil variations present beautifully, but are nearly impossible to find in high grades.
There are just 22 PSA 10 examples of Jeter’s most important rookie and more than 600 PSA 9s.
1986 Fleer Michael Jordan
- PSA 10, record sale: $840,000
- PSA 9, record sale: $93,999
- PSA 10, recent sale: $228,000
- PSA 9, recent sale: $23,290
Jordan’s 1986 Fleer is a fascinating case because, with more than 300 PSA 10 examples, gem-mint grades aren’t terribly rare.
The rise of the 1984 Star card has helped shake up the market for this card, too, at the high end of the market.
1952 Topps Mickey Mantle
- PSA 8, record sale: $2,029,500
- PSA 7, record sale: $468,000
- PSA 8, recent sale: $1,380,000
- PSA 7, recent sale: $347,700
There are just three PSA 10 copies of the 1952 Topps Mantle and just six PSA 9s.
Where you can start to see some relative volume is at the PSA 8 grade and below, with 35 total 8s in the population and 77 total PSA 7s. The deltas in price here are most impressive when comparing dollars rather than percentages.
2018 Prizm Luka Doncic Silver
- PSA 10, record sale: $9,700
- PSA 9 record sale: $3,255
- PSA 10, recent sale: $1,489
- PSA 9, recent sale: $420
Among Doncic’s most recognizable cards, prices have greatly shifted in recent years.
It’s still fascinating to see the price difference, however, when you consider there are nearly 2,400 PSA 10 examples and roughly 2,900 PSA 9 copies.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.