Is Al Kaline [Brown] worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1961 Topps Stamps · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A Grade 9.5 Al Kaline [Brown] sells for $196 against $11.50 raw: a $185 spread, 17× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($179) 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)
- $11.50
- Grade 9.5
- $196
- PSA 9
- $179
- Gem premium
- 17×
- 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 | $196 | +$160 | +$135 | +$34.50 |
| PSA 9 | $179 | +$142 | +$117 | +$17.06 |
| PSA 8 | $129 | +$92.06 | +$67.06 | −$32.94 |
Net = sale price − $11.50 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?
| Chance it gems | Expected sale | Expected net (standard fee) |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | $183 | +$121 |
| 50% | $187 | +$126 |
| 75% | $192 | +$130 |
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 Al Kaline [Brown] — FAQ
Is Al Kaline [Brown] worth grading?
A Grade 9.5 Al Kaline [Brown] sells for $196 against $11.50 raw: a $185 spread, 17× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($179) 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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