Is Carol Vadnais #57 worth grading?

Hockey · Hockey Cards 1980 O-Pee-Chee · full price guide →

Grading rarely pays for this card

Grade 9.5 copies of Carol Vadnais #57 sell for $18.00, only $15.89 above the $2.11 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($16.49) 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): $2.11
Grade 9.5: $18.00
PSA 9: $16.49
Gem premium: 8.5×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Carol Vadnais #57: 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	$18.00	−$9.11	−$34.11	−$134
PSA 9	$16.49	−$10.62	−$35.62	−$136
PSA 8	$13.00	−$14.11	−$39.11	−$139

Net = sale price − $2.11 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?

Carol Vadnais #57: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$16.87	−$35.24
50%	$17.24	−$34.87
75%	$17.62	−$34.49

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 →

Carol Vadnais #57 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$18.00
9	$16.49
8	$13.00

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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