Is Harold Baines #17 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 1997 Topps Chrome · full price guide →

Grading rarely pays for this card

Grade 9.5 copies of Harold Baines #17 sell for $16.00, only $9.12 above the $6.88 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($14.99) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.

Raw (NM): $6.88
Grade 9.5: $16.00
PSA 9: $14.99
Gem premium: 2.3×
As of: Jul 11, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Harold Baines #17: 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	$16.00	−$15.88	−$40.88	−$141
PSA 9	$14.99	−$16.89	−$41.89	−$142

Net = sale price − $6.88 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?

Harold Baines #17: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$15.24	−$41.64
50%	$15.50	−$41.38
75%	$15.75	−$41.13

At the standard fee this submission does not break even at any realistic gem rate unless the miss lands above the 9 price.

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Raw conditions & history →

Harold Baines #17 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$16.00
9	$14.99

Run your own numbers

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Grading Harold Baines #17 — FAQ

Is Harold Baines #17 worth grading?

Is your baseball card centered well enough to grade?

Centering makes or breaks a PSA 10. Scan any card with Midpoint to measure its exact centering, get a grade estimate, and see what your copy is actually worth.

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