$Michael Jordan [Refractor] #96 (Basketball Cards 1998 Bowman's Best) — is it worth grading?$

Is Michael Jordan [Refractor] #96 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 1998 Bowman's Best · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Michael Jordan [Refractor] #96 sells for $858 against $68.69 raw: a $789 spread, 12× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($780) 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): $68.69
Grade 9.5: $858
PSA 9: $780
Gem premium: 12×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Michael Jordan [Refractor] #96: 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	$858	+$764	+$739	+$639
PSA 9	$780	+$686	+$661	+$561

Net = sale price − $68.69 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?

Michael Jordan [Refractor] #96: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$800	+$681
50%	$819	+$700
75%	$839	+$720

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 →

Michael Jordan [Refractor] #96 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$858
9	$780

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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