Is Shane Conlan [Refractor] #157 worth grading?

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

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Shane Conlan [Refractor] #157 sells for $124 against $3.64 raw: a $120 spread, 34× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($113) 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): $3.64
Grade 9.5: $124
PSA 9: $113
Gem premium: 34×
As of: Sep 3, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Shane Conlan [Refractor] #157: 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	$124	+$95.36	+$70.36	−$29.64
PSA 9	$113	+$84.36	+$59.36	−$40.64

Net = sale price − $3.64 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?

Shane Conlan [Refractor] #157: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$116	+$62.11
50%	$119	+$64.86
75%	$121	+$67.61

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 →

Shane Conlan [Refractor] #157 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$124
9	$113

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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

Other 1994 Topps Finest cards worth checking

Full set checklist →

$Lawrence Taylor [Refractor] #193 1994 Topps Finest card$

Lawrence Taylor [Refractor] #193

Raw $71.47PSA 10 $2,398

$Troy Aikman [Refractor] #202 1994 Topps Finest card$

Troy Aikman [Refractor] #202

Raw $54.57PSA 10 $1,790

$Joe Montana [Refractor] #172 1994 Topps Finest card$

Joe Montana [Refractor] #172

Raw $132PSA 10 $2,811

$Emmitt Smith [Refractor] #1 1994 Topps Finest card$

Emmitt Smith [Refractor] #1

Raw $178PSA 10 $3,600

$John Elway [Refractor] #119 1994 Topps Finest card$

John Elway [Refractor] #119

Raw $148PSA 10 $2,915

$Dan Marino [Refractor] #142 1994 Topps Finest card$

Dan Marino [Refractor] #142