Is Elites of the Game [Black] #138 worth grading?

Baseball · Baseball Cards 2024 Topps · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Elites of the Game [Black] #138 sells for $250 against $79.99 raw: a $170 spread, 3.1× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($179) 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): $79.99
Grade 9.5: $250
PSA 9: $179
Gem premium: 3.1×
As of: Sep 3, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Elites of the Game [Black] #138: 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	$250	+$145	+$120	+$20.01
PSA 9	$179	+$74.20	+$49.20	−$50.80

Net = sale price − $79.99 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?

Elites of the Game [Black] #138: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$197	+$66.90
50%	$215	+$84.61
75%	$232	+$102

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 →

Elites of the Game [Black] #138 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$250
9	$179

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

Enter the seller’s asking price to see your net outcome per grade.

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