Is Shaquille O'neal [Rubies] #163 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 1996 Skybox Premium · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Shaquille O'neal [Rubies] #163 sells for $2,882 against $133 raw: a $2,749 spread, 22× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($2,620) 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): $133
Grade 9.5: $2,882
PSA 9: $2,620
Gem premium: 22×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Shaquille O'neal [Rubies] #163: 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	$2,882	+$2,724	+$2,699	+$2,599
PSA 9	$2,620	+$2,462	+$2,437	+$2,337
PSA 8	$800	+$642	+$617	+$517

Net = sale price − $133 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?

Shaquille O'neal [Rubies] #163: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$2,686	+$2,503
50%	$2,751	+$2,568
75%	$2,817	+$2,634

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 →

Shaquille O'neal [Rubies] #163 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$2,882
9	$2,620
8	$800
7	$128

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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