Is Thomas Smith [Refractor] #201 worth grading?

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

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Thomas Smith [Refractor] #201 sells for $36.00 against $3.16 raw: a $32.84 spread, 11× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($32.50) 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): $3.16
Grade 9.5: $36.00
PSA 9: $32.50
Gem premium: 11×
As of: Sep 3, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Thomas Smith [Refractor] #201: 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	$36.00	+$7.84	−$17.16	−$117
PSA 9	$32.50	+$4.34	−$20.66	−$121
PSA 8	$9.77	−$18.39	−$43.39	−$143

Net = sale price − $3.16 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?

Thomas Smith [Refractor] #201: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$33.38	−$19.79
50%	$34.25	−$18.91
75%	$35.13	−$18.04

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 →

Thomas Smith [Refractor] #201 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$36.00
9	$32.50
8	$9.77

Run your own numbers

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