Is Ray Boone #1 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1955 Red Man Tobacco · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A Grade 9.5 Ray Boone #1 sells for $1,782 against $14.99 raw: a $1,767 spread, 119× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($1,620) 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)
- $14.99
- Grade 9.5
- $1,782
- PSA 9
- $1,620
- Gem premium
- 119×
- As of
- Sep 4, 2026
Break-even by outcome and fee
| If it comes back… | Sells for | Economy / bulk (~$25.00) | Standard (~$50.00) | Express (~$150) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gem — Grade 9.5 | $1,782 | +$1,742 | +$1,717 | +$1,617 |
| PSA 9 | $1,620 | +$1,580 | +$1,555 | +$1,455 |
| PSA 8 | $128 | +$87.54 | +$62.54 | −$37.46 |
Net = sale price − $14.99 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?
| Chance it gems | Expected sale | Expected net (standard fee) |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | $1,661 | +$1,596 |
| 50% | $1,701 | +$1,636 |
| 75% | $1,742 | +$1,677 |
Even a miss (a 9) beats selling raw after the standard fee — the gem rate only decides how much you win by.
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Grading Ray Boone #1 — FAQ
Is Ray Boone #1 worth grading?
A Grade 9.5 Ray Boone #1 sells for $1,782 against $14.99 raw: a $1,767 spread, 119× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($1,620) 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.
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