Is Shaquille O'Neal #51 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 2005 Topps 1952 Style · full price guide →

Grading rarely pays for this card

Grade 9.5 copies of Shaquille O'Neal #51 sell for $21.00, only $19.27 above the $1.73 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($19.25) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.

Raw (NM): $1.73
Grade 9.5: $21.00
PSA 9: $19.25
Gem premium: 12×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Shaquille O'Neal #51: 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	$21.00	−$5.73	−$30.73	−$131
PSA 9	$19.25	−$7.48	−$32.48	−$132

Net = sale price − $1.73 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?

Shaquille O'Neal #51: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$19.69	−$32.04
50%	$20.13	−$31.61
75%	$20.56	−$31.17

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 →

Shaquille O'Neal #51 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$21.00
9	$19.25

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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