How important is centering to you

[cgjackson222]

For me, by far the most important aspect of a card is the surface. I care more about the image on the card than anything else. I avoid cars with significant "snow" or and print issues on the face of player, and seek out cards with strong color and registration/focus.

Next important is centering. I find that if a card is centered well from left to right, that it is more important than top to bottom. I think this is because some cards (think '54 Topps) don't even have a top border, so it doesn't seem unnatural to me to have a small top (or even bottom) border.

Next important is corners, and last is edges.

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

For me, by far the most important aspect of a card is the surface. I care more about the image on the card than anything else. I avoid cars with significant "snow" or and print issues on the face of player, and seek out cards with strong color and registration/focus.

Next important is centering. I find that if a card is centered well from left to right, that it is more important than top to bottom. I think this is because some cards (think '54 Topps) don't even have a top border, so it doesn't seem unnatural to me to have a small top (or even bottom) border.

Next important is corners, and last is edges.

This sums it up for me too. I’d rather have a slightly lower grade with strong centering and registration versus a higher grade that is not as strong on those fronts. A big distracting crease is a problem though - would rather have iffy centering if necessary to avoid that.

[Casey2296]

I have centering OCD so that along with registration and color are the most important factors to me. Add those three together and you get "eye appeal", like this.
_

[rugbymarine]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

I have centering OCD so that along with registration and color are the most important factors to me. Add those three together and you get "eye appeal".

This is the way.

[ClementeFanOh]

Centering is vital when I consider buying a card- Trent King

[DPARK]

It is the first thing that jumps out to me. Next would be surface, then corners

[darwinbulldog]

Very little in terms of my appreciation of the card, but I'm aware of what effect centering has for other collectors so I factor it into what I'm willing to bid.

My understanding is that the aesthetic preference for symmetry in objects is probably just a side effect of evolved adaptations for preferring mates with more symmetrical faces, and I'm happy not to be beholden to that side effect when I can save some money on a card I want to keep in my long-term personal collection.

[benge610]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

I have centering OCD so that along with registration and color are the most important factors to me. Add those three together and you get "eye appeal".

Phil and Ian, speak for me as well.

This is the way; I can open up my Zion cases with a smile, as I flip through each row of nice looking old cards.
I am a Pre-War bottom feeder (Raw, 1's, 2's, etc,) but it does count; even at these low depths.

Ben

"I love baseball history backstory; especially when it involves cards."

[Orioles1954]

Centering is a factory flaw and as such is not a very big factor. Hell, some T206 people will give massive premiums for oc cards. Handling AFTER a card leaves the factory means much more. Creasing is a major factor for me and paper loss, residue, pin holes or writing is a deal breaker. So bring me your 90/10 and gum stained stars!

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by Orioles1954

Centering is a factory flaw and as such is not a very big factor. Hell, some T206 people will give massive premiums for oc cards. Handling AFTER a card leaves the factory means much more. Creasing is a major factor for me and paper loss, residue, pin holes or writing is a deal breaker. So bring me your 90/10 and gum stained stars!

+1

[jsfriedm]

For me it really depends on the set and some times on the particular card. I care more about centering on T205s than on 1933 Goudeys for example (different shape, white border), and image color/clarity is always by far the most important thing for me. When buying my 1951 Mays (rookie card of my favorite player), I wanted to make sure there were no print defects (really hard on that card), no wax stains, and great color and registration. Had to give up a little on centering to get it, but I still love this card:

[Leon]

Personally, I generally buy on eye appeal and one of the biggest components, if not the biggest for me, is centering. I will take a small flaw or two, but centering is what my eyes focus on. And of course with many cards I/we collect we have to take what we can find (hence the beater thread).

I really like cards with somewhat of a wow factor, so to speak...
They have to be paid up for but I don't think I have ever regretted it.

[MattyC]

To me, bad centering or poor focus is a defect in the card at birth in the factory. I want the card as it was intended by design: centered and focused. In contrast, in terms of corners, the card was intended to be handled by young people; hence some corner wear has always felt totally acceptable to me.

[3-2-count]

As others have already stated superior color and registration is key when I'm looking for a card.

In regards to centering, its very important to me as well. Although I have a little bit of tolerance when it comes to top to bottom centering, side to side centering must be close to near perfect.

[DeanH3]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

I have centering OCD so that along with registration and color are the most important factors to me. Add those three together and you get "eye appeal".

100% agree with this.

[Dandor]

It depend on the card for me. 50's to 70's I Chase centering. The print quality is typically decent for those years and the cards are more numerous than people realize. What separates the cards in collectability and makes them special is often times centering. Finding a perfectly centered 1979 Ozzie Smith sets it apart from the high volume of off centered cards. Prior to 1950 I really go after print quality and color over centering.

[JustinD]

The single most important aspect of the card to me.

I won’t even open an auction with a an OC qualifier in the description and in well over several hundred thousand cards I don’t believe I own a single graded card with a OC qualifier.

Here’s the odd part, I am an error collector though, so if a very significant amount of the card next to the subject is showing I will pay a premium. It makes no sense and I am very comfortable with that.

[sreader3]

Centering is important to me mainly because it has recently become important to other collectors. It didn't used to be that important.

We kids who grew up with '70s and '80s Topps realized that when you busted a pack you would get a certain fraction of cards that were off-centered or even miscut. No big deal. The off-centered cards were just as valuable as the 50-50 ones.

Fast forward. Centering has become a huge issue.

[MikeGarcia]

[QUOTE=J

Here’s the odd part, I am an error collector though, so if a very significant amount of the card next to the subject is showing I will pay a premium. It makes no sense and I am very comfortable with that.[/QUOTE]




....we need to talk .......


....

[MattyC]

Centering and image quality must be there for me to buy a card. Corners are a factor that ideally brings down the price for me. I’ll pay a hefty premium for centering/image on a card that is rarely centered, but hate paying for corners lol.

[butchie_t]

As close as I can get to centered the better. And that depends on the set too. Some sets, you are just going to get close, and close is better than falling off one edge of a card. That is where I will pass on a card or replace it if it is in my sets. Needless to say, all of them have been replaced.

Diamond cuts are a pass too or a filler until I find a better specimen as well.

Cheers,

B. T.