Is Cal Ripken Jr #9 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1996 Flair Diamond Cuts · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A Grade 9.5 Cal Ripken Jr #9 sells for $85.00 against $6.96 raw: a $78.04 spread, 12× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($77.63) 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)
- $6.96
- Grade 9.5
- $85.00
- PSA 9
- $77.63
- Gem premium
- 12×
- As of
- Sep 4, 2026
Break-even by outcome and fee
| If it comes back… | Sells for | Economy / bulk (~$25.00) | Standard (~$50.00) | Express (~$150) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gem — Grade 9.5 | $85.00 | +$53.04 | +$28.04 | −$71.96 |
| PSA 9 | $77.63 | +$45.67 | +$20.67 | −$79.33 |
Net = sale price − $6.96 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?
| Chance it gems | Expected sale | Expected net (standard fee) |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | $79.47 | +$22.51 |
| 50% | $81.31 | +$24.36 |
| 75% | $83.16 | +$26.20 |
Even a miss (a 9) beats selling raw after the standard fee — the gem rate only decides how much you win by.
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Grading Cal Ripken Jr #9 — FAQ
Is Cal Ripken Jr #9 worth grading?
A Grade 9.5 Cal Ripken Jr #9 sells for $85.00 against $6.96 raw: a $78.04 spread, 12× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($77.63) 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.
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