Is Scott Rolen [Class 2] #53 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 1998 Topps Gold Label · full price guide →

Grading rarely pays for this card

Grade 9.5 copies of Scott Rolen [Class 2] #53 sell for $16.00, only $15.01 above the $0.99 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($14.61) 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): $0.99
Grade 9.5: $16.00
PSA 9: $14.61
Gem premium: 16×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Scott Rolen [Class 2] #53: 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	−$9.99	−$34.99	−$135
PSA 9	$14.61	−$11.38	−$36.38	−$136

Net = sale price − $0.99 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?

Scott Rolen [Class 2] #53: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$14.96	−$36.03
50%	$15.30	−$35.69
75%	$15.65	−$35.34

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 →

Scott Rolen [Class 2] #53 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$16.00
9	$14.61

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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