Is Jerry West #87 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 2009 Bowman '48 · full price guide →

Grading rarely pays for this card

Grade 9.5 copies of Jerry West #87 sell for $18.00, only $16.49 above the $1.51 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($16.50) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Keep it raw unless you are grading for the slab itself.

Raw (NM): $1.51
Grade 9.5: $18.00
PSA 9: $16.50
Gem premium: 12×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Jerry West #87: 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	$18.00	−$8.51	−$33.51	−$134
PSA 9	$16.50	−$10.01	−$35.01	−$135

Net = sale price − $1.51 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?

Jerry West #87: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$16.88	−$34.63
50%	$17.25	−$34.26
75%	$17.63	−$33.89

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 →

Jerry West #87 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$18.00
9	$16.50

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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