$Jackie Robinson [Refractor] #42 (Baseball Cards 1997 Topps Chrome) — is it worth grading?$

Is Jackie Robinson [Refractor] #42 worth grading?

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

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Jackie Robinson [Refractor] #42 sells for $330 against $19.99 raw: a $310 spread, 17× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($300) 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): $19.99
Grade 9.5: $330
PSA 9: $300
Gem premium: 17×
As of: Jul 11, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Jackie Robinson [Refractor] #42: 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	$330	+$285	+$260	+$160
PSA 9	$300	+$255	+$230	+$130
PSA 8	$7.50	−$37.49	−$62.49	−$162

Net = sale price − $19.99 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?

Jackie Robinson [Refractor] #42: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$307	+$238
50%	$315	+$245
75%	$322	+$253

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 →

Jackie Robinson [Refractor] #42 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$330
9	$300
8	$7.50

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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Grading Jackie Robinson [Refractor] #42 — FAQ

Is Jackie Robinson [Refractor] #42 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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