Is Rusty Staub [Hand Cut] #56 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 1979 Hostess · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Rusty Staub [Hand Cut] #56 sells for $50.00 against $2.79 raw: a $47.21 spread, 18× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($45.00) 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): $2.79
Grade 9.5: $50.00
PSA 9: $45.00
Gem premium: 18×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Rusty Staub [Hand Cut] #56: 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	$50.00	+$22.21	−$2.79	−$103
PSA 9	$45.00	+$17.21	−$7.79	−$108

Net = sale price − $2.79 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?

Rusty Staub [Hand Cut] #56: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$46.25	−$6.54
50%	$47.50	−$5.29
75%	$48.75	−$4.04

At the standard fee this submission does not break even at any realistic gem rate unless the miss lands above the 9 price.

Full grade ladder

Raw conditions & history →

Rusty Staub [Hand Cut] #56 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$50.00
9	$45.00

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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