Is Carl Banks [Refractor] #170 worth grading?

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

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Carl Banks [Refractor] #170 sells for $71.00 against $16.51 raw: a $54.49 spread, 4.3× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($64.75) 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): $16.51
Grade 9.5: $71.00
PSA 9: $64.75
Gem premium: 4.3×
As of: Sep 2, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Carl Banks [Refractor] #170: 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	$71.00	+$29.49	+$4.49	−$95.51
PSA 9	$64.75	+$23.24	−$1.76	−$102
PSA 8	$7.72	−$33.79	−$58.79	−$159

Net = sale price − $16.51 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?

Carl Banks [Refractor] #170: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$66.31	−$0.20
50%	$67.88	+$1.36
75%	$69.44	+$2.93

Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 28%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.

Full grade ladder

Raw conditions & history →

Carl Banks [Refractor] #170 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$71.00
9	$64.75
8	$7.72

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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Grading Carl Banks [Refractor] #170 — FAQ

Is Carl Banks [Refractor] #170 worth grading?

What gem rate makes grading Carl Banks [Refractor] #170 break even?

At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Carl Banks [Refractor] #170 breaks even when it gems about 28% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $64.75).

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