Is Paul Pierce [Star Rubies] #263 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1998 Skybox Premium · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 1384× premium in Grade 7
A Grade 7 Paul Pierce [Star Rubies] #263 sells for $8,235 against $5.95 raw: a $8,229 spread, 1384× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($29.99) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $5.95
- Grade 7
- $8,235
- PSA 9
- $29.99
- Gem premium
- 1384×
- As of
- Jul 11, 2026
Break-even by outcome and fee
| If it comes back… | Sells for | Economy / bulk (~$25.00) | Standard (~$50.00) | Express (~$150) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gem — Grade 7 | $8,235 | +$8,204 | +$8,179 | +$8,079 |
| PSA 9 | $29.99 | −$0.96 | −$25.96 | −$126 |
Net = sale price − $5.95 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?
| Chance it gems | Expected sale | Expected net (standard fee) |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | $2,081 | +$2,025 |
| 50% | $4,132 | +$4,077 |
| 75% | $6,184 | +$6,128 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 0%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | Graded |
|---|---|
| 9.5 | $33.00 |
| 9 | $29.99 |
| 7 | $8,235 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Paul Pierce [Star Rubies] #263 — FAQ
Is Paul Pierce [Star Rubies] #263 worth grading?
A Grade 7 Paul Pierce [Star Rubies] #263 sells for $8,235 against $5.95 raw: a $8,229 spread, 1384× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($29.99) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
What gem rate makes grading Paul Pierce [Star Rubies] #263 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Paul Pierce [Star Rubies] #263 breaks even when it gems about 0% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $29.99).
Is your basketball card centered well enough to grade?
Centering makes or breaks a PSA 10. Scan any card with Midpoint to measure its exact centering, get a grade estimate, and see what your copy is actually worth.
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