![Ken Griffey Jr. [Gold w/ Coating] #52 (Baseball Cards 1996 Leaf Steel) — is it worth grading?](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/4TUAAeSwDZhqscZ3/s-l1600.jpg)
Is Ken Griffey Jr. [Gold w/ Coating] #52 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1996 Leaf Steel · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A Grade 9.5 Ken Griffey Jr. [Gold w/ Coating] #52 sells for $75.00 against $20.75 raw: a $54.25 spread, 3.6× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($68.49) 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)
- $20.75
- Grade 9.5
- $75.00
- PSA 9
- $68.49
- Gem premium
- 3.6×
- 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 | $75.00 | +$29.25 | +$4.25 | −$95.75 |
| PSA 9 | $68.49 | +$22.74 | −$2.26 | −$102 |
| PSA 8 | $44.83 | −$0.92 | −$25.92 | −$126 |
Net = sale price − $20.75 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% | $70.12 | −$0.63 |
| 50% | $71.75 | +$1.00 |
| 75% | $73.37 | +$2.62 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 35%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.
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Other 1996 Leaf Steel cards worth checking
Full set checklist →![Ken Griffey Jr. [Gold] #52 1996 Leaf Steel card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/WeQAAeSwNsRqpeI3/s-l500.jpg)
![Randy Johnson [Gold] #60 1996 Leaf Steel card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/hKgAAeSwCzpqywiB/s-l500.jpg)
![Ken Griffey Jr. [Silver Promo] #52 1996 Leaf Steel card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/izoAAeSw-h9qdVLX/s-l500.jpg)
![Tony Gwynn [Gold] #48 1996 Leaf Steel card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/cHQAAeSwvchqsqGV/s-l500.jpg)
Grading Ken Griffey Jr. [Gold w/ Coating] #52 — FAQ
Is Ken Griffey Jr. [Gold w/ Coating] #52 worth grading?
A Grade 9.5 Ken Griffey Jr. [Gold w/ Coating] #52 sells for $75.00 against $20.75 raw: a $54.25 spread, 3.6× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($68.49) 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 Ken Griffey Jr. [Gold w/ Coating] #52 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Ken Griffey Jr. [Gold w/ Coating] #52 breaks even when it gems about 35% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $68.49).
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