$Yao Ming [Refractor] #21 (Basketball Cards 2005 Finest) — is it worth grading?$

Is Yao Ming [Refractor] #21 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 2005 Finest · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Yao Ming [Refractor] #21 sells for $52.00 against $20.00 raw: a $32.00 spread, 2.6× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($47.50) 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): $20.00
Grade 9.5: $52.00
PSA 9: $47.50
Gem premium: 2.6×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Yao Ming [Refractor] #21: 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	$52.00	+$7.00	−$18.00	−$118
PSA 9	$47.50	+$2.50	−$22.50	−$123
PSA 8	$17.77	−$27.23	−$52.23	−$152

Net = sale price − $20.00 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?

Yao Ming [Refractor] #21: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$48.63	−$21.38
50%	$49.75	−$20.25
75%	$50.88	−$19.13

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 →

Yao Ming [Refractor] #21 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$52.00
9	$47.50
8	$17.77
7	$14.00

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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