$John Valentin [Refractor] #46 (Baseball Cards 1996 Topps Chrome) — is it worth grading?$

Is John Valentin [Refractor] #46 worth grading?

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

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 John Valentin [Refractor] #46 sells for $70.00 against $16.98 raw: a $53.02 spread, 4.1× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($63.59) 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): $16.98
Grade 9.5: $70.00
PSA 9: $63.59
Gem premium: 4.1×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

John Valentin [Refractor] #46: 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	$70.00	+$28.02	+$3.02	−$96.98
PSA 9	$63.59	+$21.61	−$3.39	−$103
PSA 8	$42.10	+$0.12	−$24.88	−$125

Net = sale price − $16.98 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?

John Valentin [Refractor] #46: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$65.19	−$1.79
50%	$66.80	−$0.19
75%	$68.40	+$1.42

Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 53%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.

Full grade ladder

Raw conditions & history →

John Valentin [Refractor] #46 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$70.00
9	$63.59
8	$42.10

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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

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Grading John Valentin [Refractor] #46 — FAQ

Is John Valentin [Refractor] #46 worth grading?

What gem rate makes grading John Valentin [Refractor] #46 break even?

At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting John Valentin [Refractor] #46 breaks even when it gems about 53% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $63.59).

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