Is Mike Newlin / Maurice Lucas #57 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 1981 Topps · full price guide →

Grading rarely pays for this card

Grade 9.5 copies of Mike Newlin / Maurice Lucas #57 sell for $22.00, only $19.66 above the $2.34 raw price — less than an economy-tier grading fee. A PSA 9 ($20.24) 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): $2.34
Grade 9.5: $22.00
PSA 9: $20.24
Gem premium: 9.4×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Mike Newlin / Maurice Lucas #57: 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	$22.00	−$5.34	−$30.34	−$130
PSA 9	$20.24	−$7.10	−$32.10	−$132
PSA 8	$19.00	−$8.34	−$33.34	−$133

Net = sale price − $2.34 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?

Mike Newlin / Maurice Lucas #57: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$20.68	−$31.66
50%	$21.12	−$31.22
75%	$21.56	−$30.78

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 →

Mike Newlin / Maurice Lucas #57 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$22.00
9	$20.24
8	$19.00
7	$4.39

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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