Is Shawn Kemp [Rave] #40 worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 1997 Skybox Z Force · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Shawn Kemp [Rave] #40 sells for $329 against $92.48 raw: a $237 spread, 3.6× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($299) 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): $92.48
Grade 9.5: $329
PSA 9: $299
Gem premium: 3.6×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Shawn Kemp [Rave] #40: 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	$329	+$212	+$187	+$86.52
PSA 9	$299	+$181	+$156	+$56.34
PSA 8	$97.52	−$19.96	−$44.96	−$145

Net = sale price − $92.48 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?

Shawn Kemp [Rave] #40: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$306	+$164
50%	$314	+$171
75%	$321	+$179

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 →

Shawn Kemp [Rave] #40 graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$329
9	$299
8	$97.52
7	$78.00

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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