James Lofton

1981 Topps James Lofton #430 value & prices

How much is the 1981 Topps James Lofton #430 worth? Raw, ungraded copies sell for around $1.60, while graded examples can be worth significantly more. This Football card is part of the 1981 Topps set.

Graded copies command a clear premium — an ungraded copy is worth around $1.60, a PSA 9 around $24.98, a PSA 10 (Gem Mint) around $194.50 and a pristine BGS 10 around $253.00. That's roughly a 122× premium for a gem-mint copy over raw — one of the clearest signals that condition-sensitive buyers dominate this card's market.

Compare every grade in the price table above and tap through to active eBay listings. Add James Lofton to your Ripbin locker to watch its value over time.

Market context

Cards from this era were printed in enormous quantities during the hobby's boom years, so raw copies are plentiful — but strict grading separates the true gems from the masses, and top grades remain hard to pull off.

Football card values track quarterback play and breakout seasons closely — key rookies and star players see the most action.

Is it worth grading?

With raw copies near $1.60 and top grades reaching $194.50, grading a sharp copy of this card can clearly pay for itself — the spread comfortably covers a typical ~$25.00 grading fee. The catch: only submit copies with strong centering, clean corners, and unmarked surfaces, because anything below a 9 usually erases the math.

PSA remains the most liquid grading label in the hobby, while BGS (with its Black Label 10) and modern entrants CGC and SGC have growing followings — the table above shows how each label prices for this card.

Smart buying guide

The fastest way to gauge the real market for this card is to scan the live eBay listings above: look at the spread between auction and Buy-It-Now prices, and check sold history before paying top dollar.

If you own this card, scan it with Ripbin to add it to your locker — you'll see its value tracked over time, and other collectors can discover it and send bids.