Centering

[Iwantmorecards77]

I totally get the centering thing - and if a well centered card is within my budget - I'll go for it. ...but I really don't mind off-centered cards. Nothing in life has ever been perfect and the same goes with my collection. Haha Plus - an off-centered card is a bit easier on the wallet!

[texmrsport]

My OCD can't deal with off center cards. I'll take a well centered card with a dinged corner over razor sharp corners on a 80/20 centered card any day.

[Stampsfan]

I must be in the minority, and have been for 30 years. for a mid-grade card, I look at the corners first. I prefer a card in nicer shape and a little OC, rather than a card with rounded corners and nice centering.

[darwinbulldog]

I don't recall anyone caring about centering when I got into collecting in the 80s. Presumably they did, but I wasn't aware of it as an issue until I started seeing PSA cards with "(OC)" on the slab when I got back into collecting about 15 years ago.

I think the rule of thumb is:
OC cards sell for 2 grades lower,
MC cards sell for 3 grades lower,
MC cards (T206) sell for 0-4 grades higher depending on severity.

Makes sense.

[orly57]

You may be right in terms of prices people paid. At that time, we went off price guides and didn't have access to all the cards that we have now with the internet. My choices in the 80's were my local card shop and the card show that came once a year. We couldn't afford to be picky. But I remember being bugged by off centered cards since I was a kid. My local card shop had an off centered Joe Montana rookie that the kids would drool over. It would be considered a miscut today. I remember just being annoyed by it.

[wdwfan]

My CDO is exactly like yours. Like centered with a small ding on a corner better than off centered with perfect corners. Just me though.

That's why I try to be Ex-Mt to NM for all of my set needs. But even then, I'll get a card occasionally that'll either be creased/bent, which I have a thread about, or having the image basically going off the card.

Originally Posted by texmrsport

My OCD can't deal with off center cards. I'll take a well centered card with a dinged corner over razor sharp corners on a 80/20 centered card any day.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by wdwfan

My CDO is exactly like yours. Like centered with a small ding on a corner better than off centered with perfect corners. Just me though.

That's why I try to be Ex-Mt to NM for all of my set needs. But even then, I'll get a card occasionally that'll either be creased/bent, which I have a thread about, or having the image basically going off the card.

My OCD is the opposite. I can't stand cards with damaged corners, creases, writing, etc. I would rather have a card a little off centered over a card that has been abused by a collector. That being said, centering has always been an issue with me. When collecting in the 60s and 70s I always looked for good centering when I had a duplicate of a card.

[Snapolit1]

I struggled with the 1936 World Wide Gum in the recent REA auction. Centering will drive some of you guys to drink. But the card has nice corners and seems to be without other significant flaws. This is not a card I see very often and for the last official Gehrig issue is quite rare. As the write up attests. Struggled with it for weeks but ultimately stepped up and grabbed it. Haven't seen a better one offered in some time, and I suspect the 6s and above will be commanding big bucks. Centering be dammed on this one.

https://bid.robertedwardauctions.com...e?itemid=46687

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

I struggled with the 1936 World Wide Gum in the recent REA auction. Centering will drive some of you guys to drink. But the card has nice corners and seems to be without other significant flaws. This is not a card I see very often and for the last official Gehrig issue is quite rare. As the write up attests. Struggled with it for weeks but ultimately stepped up and grabbed it. Haven't seen a better one offered in some time, and I suspect the 6s and above will be commanding big bucks. Centering be dammed on this one.

https://bid.robertedwardauctions.com...e?itemid=46687

That is a nice card.
Just received this in the mail this evening. It can't be overstated that centered cards appeal to more collectors. People always ask what to "invest" in, in cards. Well, don't do it, first of all. But if you must, it usually helps to get something that other people will find appealing. That said, some cards which have been very well loved can be fun too.

[baztacula]

I'm gonna throw a knuckle curveball into the discussion of centering. How do you determine good centering on an Old Judge card? The cards were photos of bigger photos that had a border template placed on top of them. So "centering" was determined by how symmetrically the border overlay was placed down on the photos combined with how the cards were cut!

Look at the two Ramsey cards. One has left-right borders that are close in size but the image is a bit off-center. The other has asymmetrical left & right borders but with a near perfectly centered image! Which is the "centered card"?