Is Lou Boudreau [Operation Desert Shield] #235 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 2016 Topps Archives · full price guide →
Grading rarely pays for this card
Grade 9.5 copies of Lou Boudreau [Operation Desert Shield] #235 sell for $19.00, only $0.00 above the $44.00 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($17.12) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
- Raw (NM)
- $44.00
- Grade 9.5
- $19.00
- PSA 9
- $17.12
- Gem premium
- 0.4×
- As of
- Sep 3, 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 | $19.00 | −$50.00 | −$75.00 | −$175 |
| PSA 9 | $17.12 | −$51.88 | −$76.88 | −$177 |
Net = sale price − $44.00 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% | $17.59 | −$76.41 |
| 50% | $18.06 | −$75.94 |
| 75% | $18.53 | −$75.47 |
At the standard fee this submission does not break even at any realistic gem rate unless the miss lands above the 9 price.
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Grading Lou Boudreau [Operation Desert Shield] #235 — FAQ
Is Lou Boudreau [Operation Desert Shield] #235 worth grading?
Grade 9.5 copies of Lou Boudreau [Operation Desert Shield] #235 sell for $19.00, only $0.00 above the $44.00 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($17.12) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
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