Is Elston Howard worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1962 Topps Bucks · full price guide →
Grading rarely pays for this card
Grade 9.5 copies of Elston Howard sell for $27.00, only $0.00 above the $27.99 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($24.50) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
- Raw (NM)
- $27.99
- Grade 9.5
- $27.00
- PSA 9
- $24.50
- Gem premium
- 1.0×
- 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 | $27.00 | −$25.99 | −$50.99 | −$151 |
| PSA 9 | $24.50 | −$28.49 | −$53.49 | −$153 |
Net = sale price − $27.99 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% | $25.13 | −$52.86 |
| 50% | $25.75 | −$52.24 |
| 75% | $26.38 | −$51.61 |
At the standard fee this submission does not break even at any realistic gem rate unless the miss lands above the 9 price.
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Grading Elston Howard — FAQ
Is Elston Howard worth grading?
Grade 9.5 copies of Elston Howard sell for $27.00, only $0.00 above the $27.99 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($24.50) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
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