Is Lou Whitaker #187 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1980 O Pee Chee · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A Grade 9.5 Lou Whitaker #187 sells for $53.00 against $1.09 raw: a $51.91 spread, 49× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($47.99) 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)
- $1.09
- Grade 9.5
- $53.00
- PSA 9
- $47.99
- Gem premium
- 49×
- As of
- Sep 3, 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 | $53.00 | +$26.91 | +$1.91 | −$98.09 |
| PSA 9 | $47.99 | +$21.90 | −$3.10 | −$103 |
| PSA 8 | $22.96 | −$3.13 | −$28.13 | −$128 |
Net = sale price − $1.09 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% | $49.24 | −$1.85 |
| 50% | $50.50 | −$0.59 |
| 75% | $51.75 | +$0.66 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 62%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.
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Grading Lou Whitaker #187 — FAQ
Is Lou Whitaker #187 worth grading?
A Grade 9.5 Lou Whitaker #187 sells for $53.00 against $1.09 raw: a $51.91 spread, 49× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($47.99) 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.
What gem rate makes grading Lou Whitaker #187 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Lou Whitaker #187 breaks even when it gems about 62% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $47.99).
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