Is J. C. Tremblay #252 worth grading?

Hockey · Hockey Cards 1971 O-Pee-Chee · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 J. C. Tremblay #252 sells for $82.00 against $5.57 raw: a $76.43 spread, 15× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($74.46) 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): $5.57
Grade 9.5: $82.00
PSA 9: $74.46
Gem premium: 15×
As of: Sep 3, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

J. C. Tremblay #252: 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	$82.00	+$51.43	+$26.43	−$73.57
PSA 9	$74.46	+$43.89	+$18.89	−$81.11
PSA 8	$59.86	+$29.29	+$4.29	−$95.71

Net = sale price − $5.57 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?

J. C. Tremblay #252: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$76.34	+$20.78
50%	$78.23	+$22.66
75%	$80.11	+$24.54

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 →

J. C. Tremblay #252 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$82.00
9	$74.46
8	$59.86

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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