Is Ben McDonald [Mirror Blue] #45 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1996 Select Certified · full price guide →
Grading rarely pays for this card
Grade 9.5 copies of Ben McDonald [Mirror Blue] #45 sell for $33.00, only $0.00 above the $44.98 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($29.90) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
- Raw (NM)
- $44.98
- Grade 9.5
- $33.00
- PSA 9
- $29.90
- Gem premium
- 0.7×
- 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 | $33.00 | −$36.98 | −$61.98 | −$162 |
| PSA 9 | $29.90 | −$40.08 | −$65.08 | −$165 |
Net = sale price − $44.98 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% | $30.67 | −$64.31 |
| 50% | $31.45 | −$63.53 |
| 75% | $32.23 | −$62.75 |
At the standard fee this submission does not break even at any realistic gem rate unless the miss lands above the 9 price.
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Should I pay this?
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Other 1996 Select Certified cards worth checking
Full set checklist →![Alex Rodriguez [Mirror Gold] #6 1996 Select Certified card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/wDQAAeSw7OFqna4O/s-l500.jpg)
![Randy Johnson [Mirror Gold] #17 1996 Select Certified card](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/MWsAAOSwlXlnBdnV/s-l500.jpg)
Grading Ben McDonald [Mirror Blue] #45 — FAQ
Is Ben McDonald [Mirror Blue] #45 worth grading?
Grade 9.5 copies of Ben McDonald [Mirror Blue] #45 sell for $33.00, only $0.00 above the $44.98 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($29.90) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
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