$Mike Piazza [Refractor] #2 (Baseball Cards 1996 Topps Chrome) — is it worth grading?$

Is Mike Piazza [Refractor] #2 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 1996 Topps Chrome · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Mike Piazza [Refractor] #2 sells for $220 against $28.03 raw: a $192 spread, 7.8× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($200) 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): $28.03
Grade 9.5: $220
PSA 9: $200
Gem premium: 7.8×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Mike Piazza [Refractor] #2: 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	$220	+$167	+$142	+$41.97
PSA 9	$200	+$147	+$122	+$21.97
PSA 8	$40.00	−$13.03	−$38.03	−$138

Net = sale price − $28.03 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?

Mike Piazza [Refractor] #2: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$205	+$127
50%	$210	+$132
75%	$215	+$137

Even a miss (a 9) beats selling raw after the standard fee — the gem rate only decides how much you win by.

Full grade ladder

Raw conditions & history →

Mike Piazza [Refractor] #2 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$220
9	$200
8	$40.00

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

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