Is John Elway [Atomic Refractor] #115 worth grading?

Football · Football Cards 1996 Bowman's Best · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 John Elway [Atomic Refractor] #115 sells for $176 against $112 raw: a $63.58 spread, 1.6× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($160) 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): $112
Grade 9.5: $176
PSA 9: $160
Gem premium: 1.6×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

John Elway [Atomic Refractor] #115: 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	$176	+$38.58	+$13.58	−$86.42
PSA 9	$160	+$22.57	−$2.43	−$102
PSA 8	$31.50	−$106	−$131	−$231

Net = sale price − $112 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?

John Elway [Atomic Refractor] #115: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$164	+$1.57
50%	$168	+$5.58
75%	$172	+$9.58

Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 15%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.

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Raw conditions & history →

John Elway [Atomic Refractor] #115 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$176
9	$160
8	$31.50

Run your own numbers

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Grading John Elway [Atomic Refractor] #115 — FAQ

Is John Elway [Atomic Refractor] #115 worth grading?

What gem rate makes grading John Elway [Atomic Refractor] #115 break even?

At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting John Elway [Atomic Refractor] #115 breaks even when it gems about 15% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $160).

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