Is Tommy Harper #42 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1969 O Pee Chee · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A Grade 9.5 Tommy Harper #42 sells for $57.00 against $2.83 raw: a $54.17 spread, 20× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($51.55) 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)
- $2.83
- Grade 9.5
- $57.00
- PSA 9
- $51.55
- Gem premium
- 20×
- 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 | $57.00 | +$29.17 | +$4.17 | −$95.83 |
| PSA 9 | $51.55 | +$23.72 | −$1.28 | −$101 |
Net = sale price − $2.83 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% | $52.91 | +$0.08 |
| 50% | $54.27 | +$1.45 |
| 75% | $55.64 | +$2.81 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 23%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.
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Grading Tommy Harper #42 — FAQ
Is Tommy Harper #42 worth grading?
A Grade 9.5 Tommy Harper #42 sells for $57.00 against $2.83 raw: a $54.17 spread, 20× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($51.55) 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.
What gem rate makes grading Tommy Harper #42 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Tommy Harper #42 breaks even when it gems about 23% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $51.55).
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