$Mark McGwire [Refractor] #21 (Baseball Cards 1997 Topps Chrome) — is it worth grading?$

Is Mark McGwire [Refractor] #21 worth grading?

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

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Mark McGwire [Refractor] #21 sells for $141 against $64.00 raw: a $77.00 spread, 2.2× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($128) 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): $64.00
Grade 9.5: $141
PSA 9: $128
Gem premium: 2.2×
As of: Jul 11, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Mark McGwire [Refractor] #21: 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	$141	+$52.00	+$27.00	−$73.00
PSA 9	$128	+$39.39	+$14.39	−$85.61
PSA 8	$43.50	−$45.50	−$70.50	−$171

Net = sale price − $64.00 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?

Mark McGwire [Refractor] #21: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$132	+$17.54
50%	$135	+$20.69
75%	$138	+$23.85

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 →

Mark McGwire [Refractor] #21 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$141
9	$128
8	$43.50
7	$37.69

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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$Cal Ripken Jr. [Refractor] #140 1997 Topps Chrome card$

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Grading Mark McGwire [Refractor] #21 — FAQ

Is Mark McGwire [Refractor] #21 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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