Is LeBron James #138 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 2004 SP Game Used · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 LeBron James #138 sells for $116 against $13.42 raw: a $103 spread, 8.6× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($105) 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): $13.42
Grade 9.5: $116
PSA 9: $105
Gem premium: 8.6×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

LeBron James #138: 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	$116	+$77.58	+$52.58	−$47.42
PSA 9	$105	+$66.77	+$41.77	−$58.23
PSA 8	$29.64	−$8.78	−$33.78	−$134

Net = sale price − $13.42 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?

LeBron James #138: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$108	+$44.47
50%	$111	+$47.17
75%	$113	+$49.88

Even a miss (a 9) beats selling raw after the standard fee — the gem rate only decides how much you win by.

Full grade ladder

Raw conditions & history →

LeBron James #138 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$116
9	$105
8	$29.64

Run your own numbers

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LeBron James #139