PWCC eye appeal rating

[swarmee]

Razor sharp edges! Fresh from the razor!

[skelly423]

Do the cards get high prices because of the sticker, or do the cards get high prices because they genuinely look nice? PWCC stickers may draw extra attention to the card, but I tend to think these cards sell on their own merits, not because of the sticker attached to the slab.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by skelly423

Do the cards get high prices because of the sticker, or do the cards get high prices because they genuinely look nice? PWCC stickers may draw extra attention to the card, but I tend to think these cards sell on their own merits, not because of the sticker attached to the slab.

In my opinion, those stickers tend to wind up on well-centered cards. These days, many (most?) collectors place a premium on centering.

So, it would make sense that well-centered cards with a PWCC sticker will sell for more. In my opinion, this is because they're well-centered cards.

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Related opinions - an unbelievably high percentage of those same collectors aren't really looking at many card attributes other than centering. It's almost as if nothing else matters to the masses.

Imagine a random VG 3 vintage HOFer with print spots, surface wrinkles, and a thumbnail gouge along one edge. If it's centered reasonably well, people will say it looks "strong for the grade" and charge a significant premium for it.

It makes me wonder...why get cards graded in the first place if all anyone seems to care about is the centering component of eye appeal?

(yes, I realize the answer is money)

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Eric72

In my opinion, those stickers tend to wind up on well-centered cards. These days, many (most?) collectors place a premium on centering.

So, it would make sense that well-centered cards with a PWCC sticker will sell for more. In my opinion, this is because they're well-centered cards.

###

Related opinions - an unbelievably high percentage of those same collectors aren't really looking at many card attributes other than centering. It's almost as if nothing else matters to the masses.

Imagine a random VG 3 vintage HOFer with print spots, surface wrinkles, and a thumbnail gouge along one edge. If it's centered reasonably well, people will say it looks "strong for the grade" and charge a significant premium for it.

It makes me wonder...why get cards graded in the first place if all anyone seems to care about is the centering component of eye appeal?

(yes, I realize the answer is money)

Eye appeal is a combination of centering, registration, and color, far down the list is corners.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

Eye appeal is a combination of centering, registration, and color, far down the list is corners.

Yep, along with evenness of surface gloss, presence (or absence) of print flaws, brightness (or toning) of borders, etc., etc.

There are many components of eye appeal. The only one people seem to care about, though, is centering.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Yep, along with evenness of surface gloss, presence (or absence) of print flaws, brightness (or toning) of borders, etc., etc.

There are many components of eye appeal. The only one people seem to care about, though, is centering.

I don't think centering of a card with a crease across the face would be considered eye appeal. It's a combination of several factors of which centering is a big part.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

I don't think centering of a card with a crease across the face would be considered eye appeal. It's a combination of several factors of which centering is a big part.

We might have different ideas regarding eye appeal. I think it’s a attribute that can be positive, neutral, or negative.

“How’s the eye appeal?”

“Not so good.”

Otherwise, we’re both probably saying similar things.

Happy collecting.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by Eric72

There are many components of eye appeal. The only one people seem to care about, though, is centering.

It's largely individual preference, unless you are one of these types that cares more about hobby trends and sentiment than you do how your cards look to you.

I tried briefly to get on the centering train probably about a decade ago. It's not for me. I would much rather have a slightly OC card that has nice color and image focus, and decent corners than I would have a card that tolerates other flaws all in the name of centering almighty. Some of the YouTube channels I subscribe to, and I see people lauding perfect centering on cards with noticeable print flaws, or that might be slightly faded. This has never made sense to me. I don't like miscut cards or 90/10 OC in most cases, but to me most everything else looks at least decent, and moreover how I remember cards coming out of the pack in the late 1980's and earlier.

As we go forward especially in a hobby where it's becoming painfully evident that slabgate didn't make a difference - to me less than perfect centering is going to start to become evidence of authenticity / unaltered cards for those of us who still care. Cards 50+ years ago by and large even coming out of the pack did not conform to the standards some want to force them into today, to get into these ridiculously high grade slabs.