Poll: should PSA adopt a qualifier for exceptional centering?

[The Nasty Nati]

PSA sort of already does that with the .5 grades.

[Griffins]

Originally Posted by The Nasty Nati

PSA sort of already does that with the .5 grades.

Exactly. When they went to half point grades Joe Orlando said it was basically for exceptional centering, and .5 grade was really closer to .8

Was hoping someone would ask if it goes to 11, but it didn't happen.

[AGuinness]

No for me. There are already enough uneducated collectors who buy the slab and not the card, we don't need to exacerbate the problem.

BUT, if anyone were to do it, it should be a TPG. The stickers that sellers add to slabs noting exceptional centering are ridiculous. Everyone should take the grading done by TPG with a grain of salt (not to mention that everyone should be familiar with TPG guidelines that would indicate what the centering limits are for a grade), but any sticker - or other denotation - a seller adds to a card should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt, because they're express purpose is to sell the card and maximize profit and/or turnaround time (I don't have a problem with maximizing either of these, as that is their business).

Centering is baked into the price. If there is any question about why cards are priced as they are, it's an opportunity for the seller and potential customer to discuss the card's attributes. That's also the opportunity for the potential customer to learn more about the card and grow as a collector. Qualifiers, and in particular stickers added by sellers, would curtail this opportunity, I think.

We need more educated collectors, not collectors who buy slabs or qualifiers.

[pokerplyr80]

Originally Posted by Griffins

Exactly. When they went to half point grades Joe Orlando said it was basically for exceptional centering, and .5 grade was really closer to .8

Was hoping someone would ask if it goes to 11, but it didn't happen.

I believe the half grades were supposed to be for exceptional eye appeal, with more consideration given to centering. But I have seen plenty of off centered cards that got the half grade bump as well as many dead centered cards that did not. Looks like I'm in the minority but I voted for the positive qualifier.

[swarmee]

Current tally is 149-19.

[Throttlesteer]

I'll first say "no", I don't believe it needs to be any more complicated. But, I will say that the .5 bump PSA added is WAY too darn subjective. Even more so than the whole grades. I have 2's that present as 4s or 5s with outstanding centering and eye appeal, no half grade. Then other, off-center worn examples get the bump. Whole grades do have some specific standards, albeit very subject (e.g. is the crease sort of a corner or major enough to be a 2 instead of a 3). But, .5 can't really be attributed to anything other than the grader feels a little extra happiness when grading the card.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I was fine with 1-10 whole grades only. Actually I would have been fine with 1-9. Within the grade, of course, there was a spectrum and you usually paid accordingly. A grading company can only tell you so much, people have to use their own eye and judgment instead of having everything spoonfed.