Is Jimmy Key #545 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 1986 Topps Tiffany · full price guide →

Grading rarely pays for this card

Grade 9.5 copies of Jimmy Key #545 sell for $12.00, only $9.67 above the $2.33 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($11.27) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.

Raw (NM): $2.33
Grade 9.5: $12.00
PSA 9: $11.27
Gem premium: 5.2×
As of: Sep 3, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Jimmy Key #545: 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	$12.00	−$15.33	−$40.33	−$140
PSA 9	$11.27	−$16.06	−$41.06	−$141
PSA 8	$7.55	−$19.78	−$44.78	−$145

Net = sale price − $2.33 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?

Jimmy Key #545: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$11.45	−$40.88
50%	$11.63	−$40.70
75%	$11.82	−$40.51

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 →

Jimmy Key #545 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$12.00
9	$11.27
8	$7.55

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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