Is Larry Bird [3D] #8 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 1991 Fleer · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Larry Bird [3D] #8 sells for $1,430 against $269 raw: a $1,161 spread, 5.3× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($1,300) 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): $269
Grade 9.5: $1,430
PSA 9: $1,300
Gem premium: 5.3×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Larry Bird [3D] #8: 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	$1,430	+$1,136	+$1,111	+$1,011
PSA 9	$1,300	+$1,006	+$981	+$881
PSA 8	$580	+$286	+$261	+$161

Net = sale price − $269 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?

Larry Bird [3D] #8: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$1,332	+$1,013
50%	$1,365	+$1,046
75%	$1,397	+$1,078

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 →

Larry Bird [3D] #8 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$1,430
9	$1,300
8	$580
7	$500

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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