Is Rube Foster #35 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1974 Laughlin Old Time Black Stars · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A Grade 9.5 Rube Foster #35 sells for $880 against $145 raw: a $735 spread, 6.1× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($800) 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)
- $145
- Grade 9.5
- $880
- PSA 9
- $800
- Gem premium
- 6.1×
- 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 | $880 | +$710 | +$685 | +$585 |
| PSA 9 | $800 | +$630 | +$605 | +$505 |
| PSA 8 | $654 | +$484 | +$459 | +$359 |
Net = sale price − $145 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% | $820 | +$625 |
| 50% | $840 | +$645 |
| 75% | $860 | +$665 |
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 Rube Foster #35 — FAQ
Is Rube Foster #35 worth grading?
A Grade 9.5 Rube Foster #35 sells for $880 against $145 raw: a $735 spread, 6.1× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($800) 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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