Is Rick Lapointe #121 worth grading?

Hockey · Hockey Cards 1979 O-Pee-Chee · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Rick Lapointe #121 sells for $337 against $1.15 raw: a $336 spread, 293× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($306) 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): $1.15
Grade 9.5: $337
PSA 9: $306
Gem premium: 293×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Rick Lapointe #121: 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	$337	+$311	+$286	+$186
PSA 9	$306	+$280	+$255	+$155
PSA 8	$18.50	−$7.65	−$32.65	−$133

Net = sale price − $1.15 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?

Rick Lapointe #121: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$314	+$263
50%	$322	+$270
75%	$329	+$278

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 →

Rick Lapointe #121 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$337
9	$306
8	$18.50

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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