Is Nolan Ryan worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1988 Kenner Starting Lineup · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A Grade 9.5 Nolan Ryan sells for $81.00 against $27.42 raw: a $53.58 spread, 3.0× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($73.21) 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)
- $27.42
- Grade 9.5
- $81.00
- PSA 9
- $73.21
- Gem premium
- 3.0×
- 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 | $81.00 | +$28.58 | +$3.58 | −$96.42 |
| PSA 9 | $73.21 | +$20.79 | −$4.21 | −$104 |
| PSA 8 | $52.18 | −$0.24 | −$25.24 | −$125 |
Net = sale price − $27.42 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% | $75.16 | −$2.26 |
| 50% | $77.10 | −$0.32 |
| 75% | $79.05 | +$1.63 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 54%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.
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Grading Nolan Ryan — FAQ
Is Nolan Ryan worth grading?
A Grade 9.5 Nolan Ryan sells for $81.00 against $27.42 raw: a $53.58 spread, 3.0× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($73.21) 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 Nolan Ryan break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Nolan Ryan breaks even when it gems about 54% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $73.21).
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