Is Mariano Rivera [Gold] #42 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 2011 Topps · full price guide →

Grading rarely pays for this card

Grade 9.5 copies of Mariano Rivera [Gold] #42 sell for $16.00, only $10.25 above the $5.75 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($14.50) 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): $5.75
Grade 9.5: $16.00
PSA 9: $14.50
Gem premium: 2.8×
As of: Sep 3, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Mariano Rivera [Gold] #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	$16.00	−$14.75	−$39.75	−$140
PSA 9	$14.50	−$16.25	−$41.25	−$141

Net = sale price − $5.75 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?

Mariano Rivera [Gold] #42: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$14.88	−$40.88
50%	$15.25	−$40.50
75%	$15.63	−$40.13

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 →

Mariano Rivera [Gold] #42 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$16.00
9	$14.50

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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