Is Mario Lemieux [Black Refractor] #2 worth grading?

Hockey · Hockey Cards 2002 Topps Chrome · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Mario Lemieux [Black Refractor] #2 sells for $578 against $463 raw: a $115 spread, 1.2× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($525) 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): $463
Grade 9.5: $578
PSA 9: $525
Gem premium: 1.2×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Mario Lemieux [Black Refractor] #2: 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	$578	+$90.00	+$65.00	−$35.00
PSA 9	$525	+$37.28	+$12.28	−$87.72

Net = sale price − $463 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?

Mario Lemieux [Black Refractor] #2: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$538	+$25.46
50%	$552	+$38.64
75%	$565	+$51.82

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 →

Mario Lemieux [Black Refractor] #2 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$578
9	$525

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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