Is Jose Mesa [Refractor] #111 worth grading?

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

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Jose Mesa [Refractor] #111 sells for $142 against $8.11 raw: a $134 spread, 18× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($129) 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): $8.11
Grade 9.5: $142
PSA 9: $129
Gem premium: 18×
As of: Sep 3, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Jose Mesa [Refractor] #111: 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	$142	+$109	+$83.89	−$16.11
PSA 9	$129	+$95.89	+$70.89	−$29.11
PSA 8	$17.38	−$15.73	−$40.73	−$141

Net = sale price − $8.11 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?

Jose Mesa [Refractor] #111: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$132	+$74.14
50%	$136	+$77.39
75%	$139	+$80.64

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 →

Jose Mesa [Refractor] #111 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$142
9	$129
8	$17.38

Run your own numbers

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