$Raul Mondesi [Refractor] #51 (Baseball Cards 1996 Topps Chrome) — is it worth grading?$

Is Raul Mondesi [Refractor] #51 worth grading?

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

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Raul Mondesi [Refractor] #51 sells for $120 against $6.72 raw: a $113 spread, 18× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($109) 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): $6.72
Grade 9.5: $120
PSA 9: $109
Gem premium: 18×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Raul Mondesi [Refractor] #51: 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	$120	+$88.28	+$63.28	−$36.72
PSA 9	$109	+$77.28	+$52.28	−$47.72
PSA 8	$12.08	−$19.64	−$44.64	−$145

Net = sale price − $6.72 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?

Raul Mondesi [Refractor] #51: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$112	+$55.03
50%	$115	+$57.78
75%	$117	+$60.53

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 →

Raul Mondesi [Refractor] #51 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$120
9	$109
8	$12.08

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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