Is Duane Sutter, Mario Lemieux worth grading?

Hockey · Hockey Cards 1985 O-Pee-Chee Sticker · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Duane Sutter, Mario Lemieux sells for $135 against $15.64 raw: a $119 spread, 8.6× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($123) 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): $15.64
Grade 9.5: $135
PSA 9: $123
Gem premium: 8.6×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Duane Sutter, Mario Lemieux: 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	$135	+$94.36	+$69.36	−$30.64
PSA 9	$123	+$82.36	+$57.36	−$42.64
PSA 8	$59.75	+$19.11	−$5.89	−$106

Net = sale price − $15.64 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?

Duane Sutter, Mario Lemieux: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$126	+$60.36
50%	$129	+$63.36
75%	$132	+$66.36

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 →

Duane Sutter, Mario Lemieux graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$135
9	$123
8	$59.75

Run your own numbers

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Asking priceGrading fee

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