Is Trevor Hoffman #197 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 1998 Metal Universe · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9 Trevor Hoffman #197 sells for $4,725 against $1.88 raw: a $4,723 spread, 2513× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($4,725) 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): $1.88
Grade 9: $4,725
PSA 9: $4,725
Gem premium: 2513×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Trevor Hoffman #197: 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	$4,725	+$4,698	+$4,673	+$4,573
PSA 9	$4,725	+$4,698	+$4,673	+$4,573

Net = sale price − $1.88 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?

Trevor Hoffman #197: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$4,725	+$4,673
50%	$4,725	+$4,673
75%	$4,725	+$4,673

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 →

Trevor Hoffman #197 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9	$4,725

Run your own numbers

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