Is Tommy John [Hand Cut] worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1971 Milk Duds · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A Grade 9.5 Tommy John [Hand Cut] sells for $116 against $17.25 raw: a $98.75 spread, 6.7× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($105) 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)
- $17.25
- Grade 9.5
- $116
- PSA 9
- $105
- Gem premium
- 6.7×
- 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 | $116 | +$73.75 | +$48.75 | −$51.25 |
| PSA 9 | $105 | +$62.77 | +$37.77 | −$62.23 |
Net = sale price − $17.25 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% | $108 | +$40.52 |
| 50% | $111 | +$43.26 |
| 75% | $113 | +$46.00 |
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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Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
Other 1971 Milk Duds cards worth checking
Full set checklist →![Dave Johnson [Hand Cut] 1971 Milk Duds card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/T60AAeSwK7pqrckR/s-l500.jpg)
![Thurman Munson [Hand Cut] 1971 Milk Duds card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/HoMAAeSwWfxo8TF6/s-l500.jpg)
![Bill Freehan [Hand Cut] 1971 Milk Duds card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/qo8AAOSwf9RlP-c~/s-l500.jpg)
![Roberto Clemente [Hand Cut] 1971 Milk Duds card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/LUsAAeSw4BZqLu5K/s-l500.jpg)
![Pete Rose [Hand Cut] 1971 Milk Duds card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/49cAAeSw6KFpoL~Z/s-l500.jpg)
Grading Tommy John [Hand Cut] — FAQ
Is Tommy John [Hand Cut] worth grading?
A Grade 9.5 Tommy John [Hand Cut] sells for $116 against $17.25 raw: a $98.75 spread, 6.7× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($105) 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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