Is Jordan Hicks [Gold] #US288 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 2018 Topps Update · full price guide →

Grading rarely pays for this card

Grade 9.5 copies of Jordan Hicks [Gold] #US288 sell for $6.51, only $4.51 above the $2.00 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($3.00) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.

Raw (NM): $2.00
Grade 9.5: $6.51
PSA 9: $3.00
Gem premium: 3.3×
As of: Sep 3, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Jordan Hicks [Gold] #US288: 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	$6.51	−$20.49	−$45.49	−$145
PSA 9	$3.00	−$24.00	−$49.00	−$149

Net = sale price − $2.00 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?

Jordan Hicks [Gold] #US288: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$3.88	−$48.12
50%	$4.75	−$47.24
75%	$5.63	−$46.37

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 →

Jordan Hicks [Gold] #US288 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$6.51
9	$3.00

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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