Is Cecil Cooper [Hand Cut] #36 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1979 Hostess · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A Grade 9.5 Cecil Cooper [Hand Cut] #36 sells for $61.00 against $1.74 raw: a $59.26 spread, 35× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($55.89) 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)
- $1.74
- Grade 9.5
- $61.00
- PSA 9
- $55.89
- Gem premium
- 35×
- 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 | $61.00 | +$34.26 | +$9.26 | −$90.74 |
| PSA 9 | $55.89 | +$29.15 | +$4.15 | −$95.85 |
| PSA 8 | $29.99 | +$3.25 | −$21.75 | −$122 |
Net = sale price − $1.74 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% | $57.17 | +$5.43 |
| 50% | $58.45 | +$6.70 |
| 75% | $59.72 | +$7.98 |
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 Cecil Cooper [Hand Cut] #36 — FAQ
Is Cecil Cooper [Hand Cut] #36 worth grading?
A Grade 9.5 Cecil Cooper [Hand Cut] #36 sells for $61.00 against $1.74 raw: a $59.26 spread, 35× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($55.89) 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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