Is Ray Allen #2 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1996 Metal Cyber Metal · full price guide →
Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw
A Grade 9.5 Ray Allen #2 sells for $64.00 against $5.25 raw: a $58.75 spread, 12× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($58.48) 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)
- $5.25
- Grade 9.5
- $64.00
- PSA 9
- $58.48
- Gem premium
- 12×
- 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 | $64.00 | +$33.75 | +$8.75 | −$91.25 |
| PSA 9 | $58.48 | +$28.23 | +$3.23 | −$96.77 |
| PSA 8 | $23.48 | −$6.77 | −$31.77 | −$132 |
Net = sale price − $5.25 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% | $59.86 | +$4.61 |
| 50% | $61.24 | +$5.99 |
| 75% | $62.62 | +$7.37 |
Even a miss (a 9) beats selling raw after the standard fee — the gem rate only decides how much you win by.
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Other 1996 Metal Cyber Metal cards worth checking
Full set checklist →Grading Ray Allen #2 — FAQ
Is Ray Allen #2 worth grading?
A Grade 9.5 Ray Allen #2 sells for $64.00 against $5.25 raw: a $58.75 spread, 12× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($58.48) 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.
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