Is Joe Coleman #17 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1955 Red Man Tobacco · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A Grade 9.5 Joe Coleman #17 sells for $406 against $15.00 raw: a $391 spread, 27× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($369) 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)
- $15.00
- Grade 9.5
- $406
- PSA 9
- $369
- Gem premium
- 27×
- 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 | $406 | +$366 | +$341 | +$241 |
| PSA 9 | $369 | +$329 | +$304 | +$204 |
| PSA 8 | $136 | +$96.05 | +$71.05 | −$28.95 |
Net = sale price − $15.00 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?
| Chance it gems | Expected sale | Expected net (standard fee) |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | $378 | +$313 |
| 50% | $388 | +$323 |
| 75% | $397 | +$332 |
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 Joe Coleman #17 — FAQ
Is Joe Coleman #17 worth grading?
A Grade 9.5 Joe Coleman #17 sells for $406 against $15.00 raw: a $391 spread, 27× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($369) 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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