Centering
 

One of my biggest challenges in grading cards is centering. From the earliest card sets to the 1970's (where my experience stops) centering has been an issue. My problem is that I can't tell the nuanced differences between 60-40 and 55-45. Has anybody found an easy way to get an accurate centering reading?

I don't think I could tell the difference between 60-40 and 55-45 without a ruler.

It would be cool if there was an app that told you centering from a scan.

If you're at a show use a loop and a piece of screen, like from a screened in porch and count the holes on each border. If you're in the comfort of your own home, lay the card over that same piece of screen and then scan and enlargen so that you can easily count the number of holes for each border. Or just scan the card by itself, enlargen, and measure with a ruler. The dimensions will remain the same and you can fairly accurately determine the centering.

Open up Microsoft Paint (or some other image program) and use the "Overlay gridlines".

https://forums.collectors.com/messag...ord1=centering

If you have to resort to technology to differentiate, you are pursuing trivialities. You'd be surprised how accurately the human eye can differentiate between relative sizes and even colors. If it looks centered to your eye it is probably within tolerance for being considered 'centered'.

If you are worried about TPG submissions, that is another story. FWIW, when I was trying to handicap cards for a PSA submission I used a ruler with mm rule and it worked quite well in finding cards that had "9" level centering.

+1

This one's always looked good to me. Microsoft Paint confirms the qualifier is incorrect according to PSA's criteria. That probably doesn't answer the question. I just derive satisfaction from parading my example of an objectively incorrect grade.

I agree that if you can't tell a card is O/C, why ruin it by measuring. But if you are listing a card for sale as 60/40, it helps to know you're right vs the card actually being 65/35. But maybe I'm just being O/C/D.

Nice card. It has got to be real close top to bottom on being OC.

I understand your satisfaction. I love showing off the counterfeit card I own that PSA recently slabbed.:D

more centering...
 

Be careful of Diamond cut or Tilt cut as well - where the picture can be slightly cockeyed.

Post this one. :eek: