Is Carmelo Anthony [Gold] #223 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 2003 Topps · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Carmelo Anthony [Gold] #223 sells for $2,300 against $7.44 raw: a $2,293 spread, 309× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($1,029) 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): $7.44
Grade 9.5: $2,300
PSA 9: $1,029
Gem premium: 309×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Carmelo Anthony [Gold] #223: 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	$2,300	+$2,268	+$2,243	+$2,143
PSA 9	$1,029	+$997	+$972	+$872
PSA 8	$935	+$903	+$878	+$778

Net = sale price − $7.44 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?

Carmelo Anthony [Gold] #223: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$1,347	+$1,289
50%	$1,665	+$1,607
75%	$1,982	+$1,925

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 →

Carmelo Anthony [Gold] #223 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$2,300
9	$1,029
8	$935
7	$400

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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