Is Emmitt Smith [Class 1 Red] #90 worth grading?

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

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Emmitt Smith [Class 1 Red] #90 sells for $99.00 against $9.23 raw: a $89.77 spread, 11× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($90.00) 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): $9.23
Grade 9.5: $99.00
PSA 9: $90.00
Gem premium: 11×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Emmitt Smith [Class 1 Red] #90: 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	$99.00	+$64.77	+$39.77	−$60.23
PSA 9	$90.00	+$55.77	+$30.77	−$69.23

Net = sale price − $9.23 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?

Emmitt Smith [Class 1 Red] #90: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$92.25	+$33.02
50%	$94.50	+$35.27
75%	$96.75	+$37.52

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 →

Emmitt Smith [Class 1 Red] #90 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$99.00
9	$90.00

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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