Is Chris Ford #73 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 1981 Topps · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Chris Ford #73 sells for $38.00 against $2.10 raw: a $35.90 spread, 18× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($34.99) 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): $2.10
Grade 9.5: $38.00
PSA 9: $34.99
Gem premium: 18×
As of: Sep 2, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Chris Ford #73: 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	$38.00	+$10.90	−$14.10	−$114
PSA 9	$34.99	+$7.89	−$17.11	−$117
PSA 8	$19.73	−$7.37	−$32.37	−$132

Net = sale price − $2.10 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?

Chris Ford #73: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$35.74	−$16.36
50%	$36.50	−$15.60
75%	$37.25	−$14.85

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 →

Chris Ford #73 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$38.00
9	$34.99
8	$19.73
7	$11.99

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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