$Emperor Palpatine [Refractor] #19 (Star Wars 1996 Topps) — is it worth grading?$

Is Emperor Palpatine [Refractor] #19 worth grading?

Star Wars · Star Wars 1996 Topps · full price guide →

Grading rarely pays for this card

Grade 9.5 copies of Emperor Palpatine [Refractor] #19 sell for $86.50, only $16.48 above the $70.02 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($66.50) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.

Raw (NM): $70.02
Grade 9.5: $86.50
PSA 9: $66.50
Gem premium: 1.2×
As of: Oct 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Emperor Palpatine [Refractor] #19: net result of grading versus selling raw, by outcome and fee tier
If it comes back…	Sells for	Economy / bulk (~$25.00)	Standard (~$50.00)	Express (~$150)
Gem — Grade 9.5	$86.50	−$8.52	−$33.52	−$134
PSA 9	$66.50	−$28.52	−$53.52	−$154
PSA 8	$48.99	−$46.03	−$71.03	−$171

Net = sale price − $70.02 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?

Emperor Palpatine [Refractor] #19: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$71.50	−$48.52
50%	$76.50	−$43.52
75%	$81.50	−$38.52

At the standard fee this submission does not break even at any realistic gem rate unless the miss lands above the 9 price.

Full grade ladder

Raw conditions & history →

Emperor Palpatine [Refractor] #19 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$86.50
9	$66.50
8	$48.99

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.

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