Is Rod Carew [Hand Cut Small Head] #38 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 1979 Hostess · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Rod Carew [Hand Cut Small Head] #38 sells for $256 against $8.00 raw: a $248 spread, 32× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($232) 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): $8.00
Grade 9.5: $256
PSA 9: $232
Gem premium: 32×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Rod Carew [Hand Cut Small Head] #38: 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	$256	+$223	+$198	+$98.00
PSA 9	$232	+$199	+$174	+$74.49
PSA 8	$228	+$195	+$170	+$69.50

Net = sale price − $8.00 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?

Rod Carew [Hand Cut Small Head] #38: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$238	+$180
50%	$244	+$186
75%	$250	+$192

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 →

Rod Carew [Hand Cut Small Head] #38 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$256
9	$232
8	$228
7	$13.75

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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