Is Tim Young #169 worth grading?

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

Grading rarely pays for this card

Grade 9.5 copies of Tim Young #169 sell for $13.00, only $12.13 above the $0.87 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($11.80) 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): $0.87
Grade 9.5: $13.00
PSA 9: $11.80
Gem premium: 15×
As of: Sep 3, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Tim Young #169: 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	$13.00	−$12.87	−$37.87	−$138
PSA 9	$11.80	−$14.07	−$39.07	−$139
PSA 8	$7.43	−$18.44	−$43.44	−$143

Net = sale price − $0.87 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?

Tim Young #169: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$12.10	−$38.77
50%	$12.40	−$38.47
75%	$12.70	−$38.17

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 →

Tim Young #169 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$13.00
9	$11.80
8	$7.43

Run your own numbers

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Asking priceGrading fee

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