Is Bill Barber [Flyers Leaders] #253 worth grading?

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

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Bill Barber [Flyers Leaders] #253 sells for $60.00 against $0.79 raw: a $59.21 spread, 76× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($54.59) 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): $0.79
Grade 9.5: $60.00
PSA 9: $54.59
Gem premium: 76×
As of: Sep 2, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Bill Barber [Flyers Leaders] #253: 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	$60.00	+$34.21	+$9.21	−$90.79
PSA 9	$54.59	+$28.80	+$3.80	−$96.20
PSA 8	$14.25	−$11.54	−$36.54	−$137

Net = sale price − $0.79 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?

Bill Barber [Flyers Leaders] #253: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$55.94	+$5.15
50%	$57.30	+$6.51
75%	$58.65	+$7.86

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 →

Bill Barber [Flyers Leaders] #253 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$60.00
9	$54.59
8	$14.25

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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