Is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #1 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 1986 Star Best Of The Best · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #1 sells for $765 against $22.28 raw: a $743 spread, 34× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($104) 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): $22.28
Grade 9.5: $765
PSA 9: $104
Gem premium: 34×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #1: 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	$765	+$718	+$693	+$593
PSA 9	$104	+$56.77	+$31.77	−$68.23

Net = sale price − $22.28 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?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #1: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$269	+$197
50%	$435	+$362
75%	$600	+$527

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 →

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #1 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$765
9	$104

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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