Is Shareef Abdur-Rahim [Gold] #9 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 1997 Ultra Stars · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Shareef Abdur-Rahim [Gold] #9 sells for $587 against $365 raw: a $222 spread, 1.6× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($534) 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): $365
Grade 9.5: $587
PSA 9: $534
Gem premium: 1.6×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Shareef Abdur-Rahim [Gold] #9: 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	$587	+$197	+$172	+$72.00
PSA 9	$534	+$144	+$119	+$18.72
PSA 8	$408	+$17.50	−$7.50	−$108

Net = sale price − $365 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?

Shareef Abdur-Rahim [Gold] #9: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$547	+$132
50%	$560	+$145
75%	$574	+$159

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 →

Shareef Abdur-Rahim [Gold] #9 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$587
9	$534
8	$408
7	$398

Run your own numbers

Should I pay this?

Asking priceGrading fee

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Raw $35,000Graded $60,500

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