Michael JordanThe Chicago skyline card. What grading changes.
1997–98 SkyBox Metal Universe Championship · Championship base
Independent raw reference · different physical copy
Independent raw auction copy; not the submitted card
Base#23Raw / ungraded
1997–98 CHAMPIONSHIP · #23 BASE
$193.50
Verified raw auction benchmark · Sep 22, 2026 PDT
One matching raw copy sold for $193.50 with 16 bids. Its seller called it Excellent; that is not a numerical grade. Separate PSA-reported PSA 7 records range from $400 to $485, but they do not establish this card’s raw value or likelihood of achieving PSA 7.
The skyline design is Metal Universe Championship #23, not regular Metal Universe #23 or the later #1 design. Compare the real raw alternative with total grading costs, and inspect the card before assuming a PSA result.
Latest record · $193.50 Sep 22, 2026 · PDT · Raw standard Championship #23, sold with 16 bids. Seller condition: Ungraded – Excellent. Ended Sep 22 at 18:47 PDT, Sep 23 UTC. $4.99 shipping and tax excluded; different physical copy.
Observed prices. This sample does not establish a reliable trend.
Read the signal
1 observation
01
Inspect the condition before paying for a grade.
Check corners, edges, foil and surface on both sides outside the outer holder. A reflection or apparent line in a photograph cannot establish a crack or a PSA grade. The calculator is a scenario, not a forecast.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The comps behind the answer.
1 matching record
One primary raw result provides a benchmark, not a market range. The PSA 7 comparison is reported context; no grade probability or guaranteed grading gain is inferred.
REPORTED SOLD · MATCHING
$193.50
Raw standard Championship #23, sold with 16 bids. Seller condition: Ungraded – Excellent. Ended Sep 22 at 18:47 PDT, Sep 23 UTC. $4.99 shipping and tax excluded; different physical copy.
Raw · seller Excellent
Related evidence · comparison only
PSA reports these similar-item transactions. Original marketplace amounts were not independently reverified; different physical copies and grade.
CONTEXT ONLY · PSA · reported PSA 7 transactions
$400–$485 reported
Five PSA-reported PSA 7 entries: $400 fixed price, $400.90 Best Offer, $416.11 and $455 auctions, and $485 auction. Two original links redirected; remaining originals were not exhaustively reviewed. These are graded records, not raw comps.
Market evidence
Independent raw auction front and reverse matched to the skyline design. The requester’s reverse was not supplied; visual identity is strong but is not authentication.
What was included and excluded?
Regular 1997 Metal Universe space-design #23, 1998–99 #1 and Championship PMG /50 are excluded. A secondary raw list misclassified a $416.11 PSA 7 entry; it is not used as raw evidence.
THE GRADING DECISION
Will grading earn back its cost?
EDITABLE WHAT-IF
Illustrative editable inputs: $193.50 raw benchmark, $400 graded scenario from separate PSA-reported context, $30 incremental cost and 13% selling fee. The costs are not current quotes and PSA 7 is not predicted. Raw net $168.35, graded net $318.00, difference $149.66; break-even approximately $227.98 before unmodeled taxes. This calculator does not predict a grade, a sale price or the chance of a grading outcome.
Your assumptions
See the calculation
Raw net = raw gross × (1 − fee). Graded net = graded gross × (1 − fee) − added grading costs. Break-even graded gross = raw gross + added costs ÷ (1 − fee), rounded up to the next cent.
Fee is entered as a percentage. This comparison excludes the shared purchase cost of the card. Add every incremental grading cost above; other taxes and costs are not modeled.
Where grading breaks even
USD · your scenario
Graded gross sale needed to match your raw net
Rounded up to the next cent to cover the added costs.
Sell raw · net
Grade, then sell · net
Difference after added costs
Enter four valid assumptions to compare the alternatives.
A higher grade is not guaranteed. A card’s condition and matching graded sales still matter.
PULL ODDS
No grade probability or print run inferred.
The base print run and applicable pack odds were not established. Photos and sale records do not establish the chance of receiving PSA 7.
