Is Steve McNair [Class 1 Red] #49 worth grading?

Football · Football Cards 1998 Topps Gold Label · full price guide →

Grading rarely pays for this card

Grade 9.5 copies of Steve McNair [Class 1 Red] #49 sell for $40.00, only $17.50 above the $22.50 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($36.12) 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): $22.50
Grade 9.5: $40.00
PSA 9: $36.12
Gem premium: 1.8×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Steve McNair [Class 1 Red] #49: 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	$40.00	−$7.50	−$32.50	−$133
PSA 9	$36.12	−$11.38	−$36.38	−$136

Net = sale price − $22.50 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?

Steve McNair [Class 1 Red] #49: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$37.09	−$35.41
50%	$38.06	−$34.44
75%	$39.03	−$33.47

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 →

Steve McNair [Class 1 Red] #49 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$40.00
9	$36.12

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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