$Nolan Arenado [Black Refractor] #MB-39 (Baseball Cards 2013 Topps Chrome Update) — is it worth grading?$

Is Nolan Arenado [Black Refractor] #MB-39 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 2013 Topps Chrome Update · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Nolan Arenado [Black Refractor] #MB-39 sells for $2,100 against $375 raw: a $1,725 spread, 5.6× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($586) 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): $375
Grade 9.5: $2,100
PSA 9: $586
Gem premium: 5.6×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Nolan Arenado [Black Refractor] #MB-39: 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	$2,100	+$1,700	+$1,675	+$1,575
PSA 9	$586	+$186	+$161	+$61.07
PSA 8	$250	−$150	−$175	−$275

Net = sale price − $375 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?

Nolan Arenado [Black Refractor] #MB-39: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$965	+$540
50%	$1,343	+$918
75%	$1,722	+$1,297

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 →

Nolan Arenado [Black Refractor] #MB-39 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$2,100
9	$586
8	$250

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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