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3-Card Monte #581b 1988 Garbage Pail Kids Series 15 · Checklist · PSA 9
Checklist
ScarcityPSA has graded about as many base copies
PSA has graded 32 of the base card and 37 of this parallel (all grades). Graded counts are not print runs.
PSA pop13
PSA pop · this parallel
13
Card #
⇄ 581AShel Game
All grades · value and PSA population
3-CARD MONTE ACTIVEno PSA 9 listed on eBay right now
RAW (UNGRADED) — NOT A GRADED VALUE
$2
13 raw sales used for this value
view raw sales →
Front
Back
Price history · PSA 9
On-the-record sales go back as far as PSA reports them — late 2017 for GPK — plus eBay-tracked and raw sales as they land.
🗑️ The Garbologist says…
Too Few Recent Sales
The Garbologist sniffed around the sales pile.
- 6 recorded sales · 1 in the last year · trades only a few times a year · moderate-confidence sample.
- Following the trash: $18 → $13 → $9 → $20 → $17 — choppy but broadly rangebound.
- Census check: PSA has graded 37 of this card, and only 45.9% come back a 10 — gems fairly readily.
- None
Automated analysis generated from this card’s real recorded sales and PSA population data — no opinions, no predictions guaranteed. Entertainment and research only, not financial advice.
3-Card Monte — across every card
Subject page →Every 3-Card Monte card we track — how the character is moving, not just this one grade.
🧬 Should I slab it?
Keep it rawOnly about 1 in 3 copies of 1988 Original Series 15 cards get a 10, and a 9 is worth $18 — less than the $92 it costs to grade. Even a 10 ($68) would leave you about -$24 after costs, not more than raw.
Expected value if gradedunder $0 (the likely slab, $34, is $58 short of the $92 all-in cost)
Raw value today$2 (from 13 raw sales)
VerdictKeep it raw
Even a PSA 10 would not beat the raw value.
Chance of a PSA 10
35%
all 1988 Original Series 15 cards · 4,079 graded
PSA 10 value
$68
today · ~$68 by Feb 13, 2027
PSA 9 value
$18
today · ~$18 by Feb 13, 2027
All-in cost
$92
PSA fee $60 + shipping both ways $32
How these numbers work
All-in cost $92: PSA Standard tier fee $60 per card, insured shipping to PSA ~$12, PSA insured return shipping ~$20. Sending it to your PSA Vault instead skips return shipping (vault intake and storage are free): ~$72 all-in, so a graded copy would net ~under $0.
Grade odds (all 1988 Original Series 15 cards, 4,079 PSA-graded): 10 · 35%, 9 · 41%, 8 · 13%, 7 or lower · 11%. People send their best copies, so a random raw copy usually grades a bit lower.
Values when it comes back (~95 days, about Feb 13, 2027): today's values (the set has no clear 3-month trend).
Expected value if graded = each grade's chance × its value, minus the all-in cost. A guide, not a guarantee — centering and corners on your copy decide the grade.
Grade odds (all 1988 Original Series 15 cards, 4,079 PSA-graded): 10 · 35%, 9 · 41%, 8 · 13%, 7 or lower · 11%. People send their best copies, so a random raw copy usually grades a bit lower.
Values when it comes back (~95 days, about Feb 13, 2027): today's values (the set has no clear 3-month trend).
Expected value if graded = each grade's chance × its value, minus the all-in cost. A guide, not a guarantee — centering and corners on your copy decide the grade.
3-Card Monte #581b Checklist 1988 Garbage Pail Kids value by grade
| Grade | Value | Sales | PSA pop |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSA 10 | $68 | 12 | 17 |
| PSA 9 | $18 | 6 | 13 |
| PSA 8 | $14 | 1 | 3 |
| PSA 7 | $13 est. | 0 | 2 |
| PSA 5 | $11 | 1 | 1 |
Every grade of this card on one page. Est. = no sale at that grade yet. Tap a grade above to switch the whole page to it.
