Is Magic Johnson [Gold Parallel] #174 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 2008 Topps · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Magic Johnson [Gold Parallel] #174 sells for $54.00 against $17.99 raw: a $36.01 spread, 3.0× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($49.50) 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): $17.99
Grade 9.5: $54.00
PSA 9: $49.50
Gem premium: 3.0×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Magic Johnson [Gold Parallel] #174: 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	$54.00	+$11.01	−$13.99	−$114
PSA 9	$49.50	+$6.51	−$18.49	−$118

Net = sale price − $17.99 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?

Magic Johnson [Gold Parallel] #174: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$50.63	−$17.36
50%	$51.75	−$16.24
75%	$52.88	−$15.11

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 →

Magic Johnson [Gold Parallel] #174 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$54.00
9	$49.50

Run your own numbers

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Asking priceGrading fee

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