Is Paul Molitor [Red Refractor] #1 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 1994 Bowman's Best · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Paul Molitor [Red Refractor] #1 sells for $55.00 against $5.77 raw: a $49.23 spread, 9.5× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($49.95) 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): $5.77
Grade 9.5: $55.00
PSA 9: $49.95
Gem premium: 9.5×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Paul Molitor [Red Refractor] #1: 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	$55.00	+$24.23	−$0.77	−$101
PSA 9	$49.95	+$19.18	−$5.82	−$106
PSA 8	$10.50	−$20.27	−$45.27	−$145

Net = sale price − $5.77 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?

Paul Molitor [Red Refractor] #1: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$51.21	−$4.56
50%	$52.48	−$3.30
75%	$53.74	−$2.03

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 →

Paul Molitor [Red Refractor] #1 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$55.00
9	$49.95
8	$10.50
7	$8.00

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.

Other 1994 Bowman's Best cards worth checking

Full set checklist →

$Rickey Henderson [Red Refractor] #4 1994 Bowman's Best card$

Rickey Henderson [Red Refractor] #4

Raw $32.86PSA 10 $1,126

$Frank Thomas [Red Refractor] #55 1994 Bowman's Best card$

Frank Thomas [Red Refractor] #55

Raw $15.00PSA 10 $500

$Chipper Jones [Blue Refractor] #1 1994 Bowman's Best card$

Chipper Jones [Blue Refractor] #1

Raw $36.92PSA 10 $861

$Barry Bonds [Red Refractor] #59 1994 Bowman's Best card$

Barry Bonds [Red Refractor] #59

Raw $50.00PSA 10 $1,141

$Derek Jeter [Blue Refractor] #2 1994 Bowman's Best card$

Derek Jeter [Blue Refractor] #2

Raw $69.64PSA 10 $1,234

$Billy Wagner [Blue Refractor] #19 1994 Bowman's Best card$

Billy Wagner [Blue Refractor] #19