Is Vin Baker #29 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 1996 Spx · full price guide →

Grading rarely pays for this card

Grade 9.5 copies of Vin Baker #29 sell for $23.00, only $21.03 above the $1.97 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($20.50) 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): $1.97
Grade 9.5: $23.00
PSA 9: $20.50
Gem premium: 12×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Vin Baker #29: 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	$23.00	−$3.97	−$28.97	−$129
PSA 9	$20.50	−$6.47	−$31.47	−$131
PSA 8	$5.50	−$21.47	−$46.47	−$146

Net = sale price − $1.97 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?

Vin Baker #29: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$21.13	−$30.84
50%	$21.75	−$30.22
75%	$22.38	−$29.59

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 →

Vin Baker #29 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$23.00
9	$20.50
8	$5.50

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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