How much more is a PSA 9 vs Raw?

As an avid gaming card collector and content creator, I often get asked – just how much extra value does sending a card to PSA and getting their coveted Mint 9 grade add versus an ungraded "raw" card?

It‘s a great question, since grading costs money. Let‘s analyze some real examples and extract insights.

Grading 101: What is a PSA 9 Card?

For those less familiar, PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) is one of the leading third-party grading companies that will assess the condition of trading cards on a numeric scale from 1 to 10 (10 being the pinnacle PSA Gem Mint).

PSA defines their second best grade, a PSA 9 Mint card, as:

A superb condition card exhibiting only one of the following minor flaws: a very slight wax stain on reverse, a minor printing imperfection or slightly off-white borders. Centering must be approximately 60/40 to 65/35 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

So in essence – sharp corners, clean surfaces with one small flaw allowed and great centering defines a PSA 9. It‘s an elite grade held to very high standards.

Typical PSA 9 Premiums: By the Numbers

Okay, but what does that PSA 9 grade typically earn for cards in terms of increased value versus ungraded copies?

Through research into specific examples – including 1980s to modern era stars across baseball, basketball, football cards sets – I found:

A PSA 9 usually commands on average 2-5X more than the same raw card.

Some more tangible examples across eras:

So we see timeless vintage cards attaining higher multipliers as that grade becomes extremely difficult to achieve on say a 1986 Jordan versus a 2020 Prizm. But strong values regardless.

Now let‘s dig even deeper on what drives the gaps…

Key Drivers of the PSA 9 Price Premiums

In collecting sports cards for decades and running an 800K YouTube channel on the hobby since 2015, I‘ve assessed many factors at play driving that raw card to graded card difference:

Populations and Collectors Chasing Rarity

Probably the #1 factor – supply and demand economics! If a PSA 9 population is very low relative to PSA 10 copies, it becomes coveted. Collectors chase scarcity. The 1984 Elway is a prime example with only 358 PSA 9 examples on planet Earth! Compare that rarity to over 10,000 PSA 10 Elways.

Strong Market for Player/Era

Like most collectibles, market strength and emotional sentiment heavily sway prices. A PSA 9 of an iconic rookie like Michael Jordan or Willie Mays will always command strong multiples versus other HOF‘ers from same era simply due to demand.

Era Itself and What Defines "Mint"

What was considered high grade is vastly different across different card production eras. Flawed 60s and 70s print quality makes a PSA 9 exponentially harder versus today‘s nearly perfect printing. So that 9 grade resonates more the older the era usually.

Vintage Card Verification

Encapsulation provides authentication benefits on say a 1955 Roberto Clemente where fraud is rampant. Critical for vintage cards unlike detecting counterfeit 2020 Prizms!

There are certainly other nuances like player deaths adding more emotion and spikes to pricing. But in general – the above appear to be main elements at play.

Now we need to cover…okay great my rare card might be worth more as PSA 9 – but will I ACTUALLY realize that ROI grading it?

Analyzing the Cost-Benefit: Should I Grade to PSA 9?

All those juicy PSA 9 price tag examples make it tempting to package up your best raw cards for grading. But will grading genuinely pay off?

Here‘s a decision framework I apply for modern submissions that holds up well:

Step 1: Estimate Raw Card Value

Check sites like 130point.com and eBay recently sold listings to assess a card‘s market value in current raw form.

As an example – let‘s say you have the sought after 2018 Panini Prizm Trae Young that sells around $200 raw in nice condition that would likely yield a PSA 9 grade.

Step 2: Project Graded Value Minus Fees

Use the above data points to determine what recent PSA 9 copies have sold for.

In our example, the last 2018 Prizm Trae Young PSA 9 fetched $600 on eBay.

At time of writing, PSA‘s Value tier costs $50 per card which takes 21+ days.

So the math is $600 (PSA 9 Value) – $50 grading cost – $200 (Initial Raw Card Value) = +$350 Projected Profit.

Step 3: Assess Risks & Total Upside

A few risks to weigh:

• PSA grades tougher than anticipated and your card gets say an 8 dropping value
• Declines in market conditions for the player/card while at PSA
• Significant delays in getting your card back from PSA

But given Trae buzz is strong and we netted $350+ should things align on the PSA 9…we‘ve got a great shot at solid profit even if the card cools a bit by time its back in hand.

Compare returns for modern bulk submissions versus vintage. Going through this exercise will save you money and headaches!

The Bottom Line on PSA 9 Cards

At the end of the day as a collector – I‘ll summarize by saying PSA 9 examples of iconic rookie and vintage Hall of Fame cards are always worthwhile investments in my experience if buying for your personal collection or as assets.

The multipliers over raw can be staggering given how hard that grade is to attain the further back you go…we‘re talking 1000% or 2000% gains versus 200% on moderns in some cases!

But also don‘t assume everything modern you send in bulk to PSA will return huge wins. Do the math constantly on populations, value gaps, sell-through rates and grading costs to make the most out of your submissions.

Hope this gives you a much deeper understanding of how to assess when it does or does not pay off to upcharge your cards into PSA holders and the general premium they provide! Feel free to hit me up on YouTube or Instagram at @CardsInvestor with any other questions.

Thanks for reading and keep chasing those PSA 9 unicorns my friends!