Is Danny Ainge [Green Border] #96 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 1985 Star · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Danny Ainge [Green Border] #96 sells for $168 against $10.46 raw: a $157 spread, 16× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($103) 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): $10.46
Grade 9.5: $168
PSA 9: $103
Gem premium: 16×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Danny Ainge [Green Border] #96: 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	$168	+$132	+$107	+$7.04
PSA 9	$103	+$67.04	+$42.04	−$57.96
PSA 8	$9.50	−$25.96	−$50.96	−$151

Net = sale price − $10.46 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?

Danny Ainge [Green Border] #96: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$119	+$58.29
50%	$135	+$74.54
75%	$151	+$90.79

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 →

Danny Ainge [Green Border] #96 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$168
9	$103
8	$9.50

Run your own numbers

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Asking priceGrading fee

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