Is Tim Duncan [Gold] #1G worth grading?

Basketball · Basketball Cards 1998 Fleer Brilliants · full price guide →

Worth grading — even a PSA 9 beats raw

A Grade 9.5 Tim Duncan [Gold] #1G sells for $1,409 against $330 raw: a $1,079 spread, 4.3× the ungraded price. Even a PSA 9 ($1,281) 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): $330
Grade 9.5: $1,409
PSA 9: $1,281
Gem premium: 4.3×
As of: Sep 4, 2026

Break-even by outcome and fee

Tim Duncan [Gold] #1G: 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	$1,409	+$1,054	+$1,029	+$929
PSA 9	$1,281	+$926	+$901	+$801
PSA 8	$517	+$162	+$137	+$36.89

Net = sale price − $330 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?

Tim Duncan [Gold] #1G: expected value of submitting by gem probability
Chance it gems	Expected sale	Expected net (standard fee)
25%	$1,313	+$933
50%	$1,345	+$965
75%	$1,377	+$997

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 →

Tim Duncan [Gold] #1G graded prices by company and grade
Grade	Graded
9.5	$1,409
9	$1,281
8	$517

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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