I was looking at a card the other day in the Bay which had a PSA rating of 9. The card seemed to be very badly centred and it amazed me how such a card could be given such a high grading. I went onto PSA's site and found this definition specifically about centering but confess that I don't know what it means. Anyone help?
Here's what they say:
The image must be centered on the card within a tolerance not to exceed approximately 55/45 to 60/40 percent on the front, and 75/25 percent on the reverse.

As I appreciate it, it means that 100% of the border around the edge of the card cannot be distributed more than 55% one one side and 45% on the other side, or 60% and 40%. A 60/40 centering is not bad, but in some sportscards, that can be a big difference.

Basically, the card can be off-center a decent amount, and still be considered "centered."

Of course, beauty IS in the eye of the beholder.

was it a "real" PSA9 or was it a PSA9 (oc). They used (not sure if they still do) to use that notation on cards if they were nice, but just off centered

found this and "borrowed" it for an example

quote:

Originally posted by btlfannz:
I was looking at a card the other day in the Bay which had a PSA rating of 9. The card seemed to be very badly centred and it amazed me how such a card could be given such a high grading. I went onto PSA's site and found this definition specifically about centering but confess that I don't know what it means. Anyone help?
Here's what they say:
The image must be centered on the card within a tolerance not to exceed approximately 55/45 to 60/40 percent on the front, and 75/25 percent on the reverse.

That is a pretty high tolerance. It means exactly what Will said and a 60/40 on the front would be quite noticable. 75/25 would look very bad, even if it is on the card back. In a modern card I would not want it, graded 9 or not.

However if it is a vintage card its different, because many entire sets were off-cut or off-centered to the point that a reasonably centered card would earn a premium. If the card is badly off-cut, but the majority are like that, it becomes the norm.

I don't think graders are supposed to rate on a curve because they have standards, at least in theory , so a lesser grade may be close to the best you can expect to get in certain older products.

+Yeah Glen, what you posted (the pic) is a classic example of what I am saying. Even with the notation of oc after the grading there is absolutely no justification in grading that card with a 9. Card centering (imho) is one of the most critical elements that I use in deciding whether I am going to shell out my hard earned and seeing a card that is wildly off-centre and graded 9 gives me no confidence at all in the entire grading system.

actually, i like the grade. as long as it has the (oc) notation, it lets you know the card was almost perfect except for the centering. if you were to grade that card a 5 or a 6 because of the centering, it would (in my opinion) do an injustice to the card. i would rather have a 9 (oc) as pictured, than a creased, faded tattered looking 5 or 6 with rounded corners.

quote:

Originally posted by btlfannz:
Even with the notation of oc after the grading there is absolutely no justification in grading that card with a 9.

but thats part of the point. it is not a 9, it is a 9 (oc). it has a qualifier after it (PSA has several qualifiers). here is what constitutes the (oc) qualifier. if it were a 9, it would not have the (oc) mark. that notation lets a buyer know the card is nice, but off centered


PSA will grade nearly every card submitted. Cards having significant flaws will receive "qualified" grades as follows:
OC (Off Center):
When the centering of the card falls below the minimum standard for that grade will be designated "OC." PSA determines centering by comparing the measurements of the borders from left to right and top to bottom. The centering is designated as the percent of difference at the most off-center part of the card. A 5% leeway is given to the front centering minimum standards for cards which grade NM 7 or better. For example, a card that meets all of the other requirements for PSA MINT 9 and measures 60/40 off-center on the front automatically meets the PSA front centering standards for MINT 9. If a card meets all of the other requirements for PSA MINT 9 and measures 65/35 off-center on the front, it may be deemed to meet the PSA front centering standards for MINT 9 if the eye appeal of the card is good.

quote:

Originally posted by glen87:
If a card meets all of the other requirements for PSA MINT 9 and measures 65/35 off-center on the front, it may be deemed to meet the PSA front centering standards for MINT 9 if the eye appeal of the card is good.

But the eye appeal of a 65/35 off-center front is never good. It is the first thing you notice, I would rather have a soft corner than something so obvious.

I think the (oc) addition or "qualified" grade is just another way to give relatively high grades on cards that don't deserve them. If grading services return too many cards at less than 9, what happens? The customers bust them out of the slabs and go to another grader who won't be so picky. Its a numbers game and many buyers will not consider a modern card less than a 9, so they have to think of ways to get it there. Its like saying, this guy's in perfect health except that he has no head, so let's rate him a 10 (nh).

I see little use for grading a card except if it is a high dollar item and you are doing it to try to ensure that it is not counterfeit or repaired. Even then there may be no significant premium paid and you might actually lose more potential buyers because they don't like the grade or because they prefer it not be slabbed.

Lol Raven!!

All this grading drama is silly, a card should be enjoyed and valued for what it is, not what it is graded by.

If all cards were sold at shows where you could personally see them, grading probably wouldn't even exist.

However with the current online business model and the number of shady people in the game it's necessary to have a third party opinion of certain cards. Not just trusting that the card in the auction is both Rare and Mint.

I see little reason to grade current products. But with certain vintage products it makes sense if they are being sold to people who cannot inspect the card for themselves.

The other aspect of grading is population reports. If you had the only 9.5 Mars Attacks card number 1 ever seen, you would have a more valuable card than one graded a 5 where there may be hundreds out there. It is just the nature of the game.

Ed