Question of Grading & Sales Value

[xdrx]

I have a dozen 1959 Topps commons (all Dodgers) that I would grade at 8+. That gives them an SMR value of $25+.

What I'm trying to come to grips with is (1) is my opinion on grading correct, and (2) if they are 8+ is it very likely to get the SMR value for them?

If they are graded 7s instead of 8s the SMR is $12. Current SGC monthly special is $5/card for these, so even 7s wouldn't be horrible. But if they grade below 7 it is a total waste of effort. These cards seem to generally sell for <$5 in VG-EX (raw) condition, so I really don't know if even strong grades will be worth much.

What do you all think? The upside, of course, is that some grade higher than 8, which can double or triple the SMR.

Here is an example of one of the worst cards (OC). A bit hard to see, but corners are sharp and card basically looks new to me:



Thanks for any thoughts or opinions. Not a huge deal at the end of the day, but I'm just trying to do the smart thing with these cards relative to grading and selling because I think I've largely missed the mark in that respect on a bunch of stuff I've moved so far.