Is Tim Salmon [Red] #1 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 1998 Donruss Crusade · full price guide →

Grading rarely pays for this card

Grade 9.5 copies of Tim Salmon [Red] #1 sell for $578, only $0.00 above the $621 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($525) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.

Raw (NM): $621
Grade 9.5: $578
PSA 9: $525
Gem premium: 0.9×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Tim Salmon [Red] #1: 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	$578	−$68.00	−$93.00	−$193
PSA 9	$525	−$121	−$146	−$246

Net = sale price − $621 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?

Tim Salmon [Red] #1: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$538	−$133
50%	$552	−$119
75%	$565	−$106

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

Full grade ladder

Raw conditions & history →

Tim Salmon [Red] #1 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$578
9	$525

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.

Other 1998 Donruss Crusade cards worth checking

Full set checklist →

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Derek Jeter [Purple]

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Paul Molitor [Red] #28