Is Barry Bonds #290 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1996 Ultra Gold Medallion · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A Grade 9.5 Barry Bonds #290 sells for $69.00 against $15.09 raw: a $53.91 spread, 4.6× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($62.50) 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)
- $15.09
- Grade 9.5
- $69.00
- PSA 9
- $62.50
- Gem premium
- 4.6×
- As of
- Sep 4, 2026
Break-even by outcome and fee
| If it comes back… | Sells for | Economy / bulk (~$25.00) | Standard (~$50.00) | Express (~$150) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gem — Grade 9.5 | $69.00 | +$28.91 | +$3.91 | −$96.09 |
| PSA 9 | $62.50 | +$22.41 | −$2.59 | −$103 |
| PSA 8 | $51.20 | +$11.11 | −$13.89 | −$114 |
Net = sale price − $15.09 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?
| Chance it gems | Expected sale | Expected net (standard fee) |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | $64.13 | −$0.97 |
| 50% | $65.75 | +$0.66 |
| 75% | $67.38 | +$2.28 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 40%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.
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Grading Barry Bonds #290 — FAQ
Is Barry Bonds #290 worth grading?
A Grade 9.5 Barry Bonds #290 sells for $69.00 against $15.09 raw: a $53.91 spread, 4.6× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($62.50) 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.
What gem rate makes grading Barry Bonds #290 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Barry Bonds #290 breaks even when it gems about 40% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $62.50).
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