Is Steve Payne #166 worth grading?

Hockey · Hockey Cards 1981 O-Pee-Chee · full price guide →

Grading rarely pays for this card

Grade 9.5 copies of Steve Payne #166 sell for $21.00, only $19.73 above the $1.27 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($18.87) 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): $1.27
Grade 9.5: $21.00
PSA 9: $18.87
Gem premium: 17×
As of: Sep 3, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Steve Payne #166: 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	$21.00	−$5.27	−$30.27	−$130
PSA 9	$18.87	−$7.40	−$32.40	−$132
PSA 8	$8.65	−$17.62	−$42.62	−$143

Net = sale price − $1.27 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?

Steve Payne #166: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$19.40	−$31.87
50%	$19.94	−$31.33
75%	$20.47	−$30.80

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 →

Steve Payne #166 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$21.00
9	$18.87
8	$8.65
7	$7.00

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.

Other 1981 O-Pee-Chee cards worth checking

Full set checklist →

Wayne Gretzky [Assists Leader] #383

Raw $2.75PSA 10 $1,899

Paul Coffey #111

Raw $22.78PSA 10 $13,501

Ray Bourque #1

Raw $3.62PSA 10 $1,090

Peter Stastny #269

Raw $6.13PSA 10 $1,478

Jari Kurri #107

Raw $10.02PSA 10 $2,239

Dino Ciccarelli #161