Is this really a buyer’s market?

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Print registration and print defects are absolutely taken into account during the grading process at every TPG. I had a 52 Bowman Mantle that had poor registration but was otherwise in EX-MT condition and it received a 3 because of the print flaws.

I would say that when it comes to eye appeal, everything matters. The registration, the color, print flaws like fisheyes and print lines, creases, centering, and even corners & edges. Everyone has their own hierarchy of which flaws matter most and how much. But for the majority of collectors, the centering is what jumps out at them first, at least for bordered cards, and in particular when they're extremely OC. You just can't miss it. Same is true for registration which is wildly off. Again, you just can't miss it.

I would agree that print and focus are considerations, and maybe more so for iconic / expensive cards - but the way that standard is applied is pretty erratic. For cards that are not Bowman Mantles, I have seen focus issues treated in various ways, but the majority of the time - if a card is NM otherwise with poor focus, that card is apt to get a higher grade than an EX card with no focus problems. I get it, and am not saying the grade is wrong per se, I'm just saying there is no hard standard; focus is one of those subjective things (what is badly OF to me might be slightly OF to you...) and the grading standards as with so many things aren't really clear here. I don't think I'm a true OCD candidate, but if I do have a touch of it - mine runs much more towards noticing print and focus problems than it does centering - so that's just what I'm inclined to point out first. I do think it would be nice if print and focus as a grading criteria could be seperated out just from "Surface" - which is ostensibly the physical condition of the cardboard stock and more concerned just with wrinkles, creases, dents, dings, tears, etc.

I would agree with you on the whole that for vintage it's far easier to find a well printed and focused card than it is a perfectly centered one. Don't get me wrong, I get the concern and don't fault you and others in the centering camp. I realize that I'm able to get cards that I still find appealing at a discount due to moderate centering problems, and that to a large degree the centering hysteria over the last 20 years or so is responsible for that. So thanks.