Is Max Scherzer [Gold] #162 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 2012 Topps · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Max Scherzer [Gold] #162 sells for $38.00 against $3.84 raw: a $34.16 spread, 9.9× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($34.75) 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): $3.84
Grade 9.5: $38.00
PSA 9: $34.75
Gem premium: 9.9×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Max Scherzer [Gold] #162: 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	$38.00	+$9.16	−$15.84	−$116
PSA 9	$34.75	+$5.91	−$19.09	−$119

Net = sale price − $3.84 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?

Max Scherzer [Gold] #162: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$35.56	−$18.28
50%	$36.38	−$17.47
75%	$37.19	−$16.65

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 →

Max Scherzer [Gold] #162 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$38.00
9	$34.75

Run your own numbers

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