Is Boomer Esiason [Refractor] #99 worth grading?

Football · Football Cards 1994 Topps Finest · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Boomer Esiason [Refractor] #99 sells for $102 against $17.07 raw: a $84.93 spread, 6.0× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($92.75) clears the raw price after an economy-tier ~$25 fee, so a near-miss still comes out ahead. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.

Raw (NM): $17.07
Grade 9.5: $102
PSA 9: $92.75
Gem premium: 6.0×
As of: Sep 2, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Boomer Esiason [Refractor] #99: 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	$102	+$59.93	+$34.93	−$65.07
PSA 9	$92.75	+$50.68	+$25.68	−$74.32
PSA 8	$19.03	−$23.04	−$48.04	−$148

Net = sale price − $17.07 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?

Boomer Esiason [Refractor] #99: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$95.06	+$27.99
50%	$97.38	+$30.31
75%	$99.69	+$32.62

Even a miss (a 9) beats selling raw after the standard fee — the gem rate only decides how much you win by.

Full grade ladder

Raw conditions & history →

Boomer Esiason [Refractor] #99 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$102
9	$92.75
8	$19.03
7	$15.00

Run your own numbers

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