Is Lee Elia #312 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 1969 Topps · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Lee Elia #312 sells for $1,566 against $2.70 raw: a $1,563 spread, 580× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($1,423) 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): $2.70
Grade 9.5: $1,566
PSA 9: $1,423
Gem premium: 580×
As of: Sep 3, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Lee Elia #312: net result of grading versus selling raw, by outcome and fee tier
If it comes back…	Sells for	Economy / bulk (~$25.00)	Standard (~$50.00)	Express (~$150)
Gem — Grade 9.5	$1,566	+$1,538	+$1,513	+$1,413
PSA 9	$1,423	+$1,396	+$1,371	+$1,271
PSA 8	$37.77	+$10.07	−$14.93	−$115

Net = sale price − $2.70 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?

Lee Elia #312: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$1,459	+$1,406
50%	$1,495	+$1,442
75%	$1,530	+$1,478

Even a miss (a 9) beats selling raw after the standard fee — the gem rate only decides how much you win by.

Full grade ladder

Raw conditions & history →

Lee Elia #312 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$1,566
9	$1,423
8	$37.77
7	$11.82

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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