I am personally not a graded card collector, but something really bugs me about the whole situation. When PSA, et al, were established, why didn't they 'truly' grade cards with qualifications included right on the holders as standard operating procedure? In other words, if it's O/C, then it's going to be noted as O/C on the slab no matter what.
For instance, I hear all the time that submitters can forego having qualifiers listed on the slabs (unless its too extreme a case) at the expense of a grade point or two. Why is that the case? If a beautiful card is an 8, but it's significantly off-center, why not have it be an 8 O/C from the get-go? If the grading companies did this from the beginning, then you would always know the 'true' grade of a card. Plus, if this was SOP from day one, then there would be much less of a stigma attached to cards with qualifiers, because it would be the norm.
It's annoying seeing a card that's an 8, but it's way off center and no qualifier is listed on the slab. And if someone recounts the stupid maxim, "Buy the card, not the slab" one more time my head is going to explode. That's not the point. The point is having a grading system that is true to reality.
Case in point (not my card):
clemente.jpg