Is Barry Bonds [Precious Metal Gems] #81 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1998 Metal Universe · full price guide →
Grading rarely pays for this card
Grade 9.5 copies of Barry Bonds [Precious Metal Gems] #81 sell for $7,150, only $0.00 above the $15,000 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($6,500) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
- Raw (NM)
- $15,000
- Grade 9.5
- $7,150
- PSA 9
- $6,500
- Gem premium
- 0.5×
- As of
- Sep 4, 2026
Break-even by outcome and fee
| If it comes back… | Sells for | Economy / bulk (~$25.00) | Standard (~$50.00) | Express (~$150) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gem — Grade 9.5 | $7,150 | −$7,875 | −$7,900 | −$8,000 |
| PSA 9 | $6,500 | −$8,525 | −$8,550 | −$8,650 |
Net = sale price − $15,000 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?
| Chance it gems | Expected sale | Expected net (standard fee) |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | $6,663 | −$8,388 |
| 50% | $6,825 | −$8,225 |
| 75% | $6,988 | −$8,063 |
At the standard fee this submission does not break even at any realistic gem rate unless the miss lands above the 9 price.
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Raw conditions & history →Run your own numbers
Should I pay this?
Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.
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Grading Barry Bonds [Precious Metal Gems] #81 — FAQ
Is Barry Bonds [Precious Metal Gems] #81 worth grading?
Grade 9.5 copies of Barry Bonds [Precious Metal Gems] #81 sell for $7,150, only $0.00 above the $15,000 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($6,500) sells for less than raw, so anything short of a 10 loses money. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.
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