Is Mike Trout [Black] #U-4 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 2020 Topps Update · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Mike Trout [Black] #U-4 sells for $99.00 against $13.50 raw: a $85.50 spread, 7.3× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($90.00) 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): $13.50
Grade 9.5: $99.00
PSA 9: $90.00
Gem premium: 7.3×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Mike Trout [Black] #U-4: 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	$99.00	+$60.50	+$35.50	−$64.50
PSA 9	$90.00	+$51.50	+$26.50	−$73.50

Net = sale price − $13.50 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?

Mike Trout [Black] #U-4: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$92.25	+$28.75
50%	$94.50	+$31.00
75%	$96.75	+$33.25

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 →

Mike Trout [Black] #U-4 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$99.00
9	$90.00

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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