what is centered and 50/50 mean?
hslice
Posts: 74 ✭✭
Can you someone clarify that and show an image of a card with perfect centering?
Had some comments on a few of my cards that the centering was off so I'm trying to see the difference.
thank you
0
Comments
centered means same width along all 4 borders.
50/50 means
Post a photo of one of your cards.
is this a troll thread?
not even close to being centered. hell, one card has a mc qualifier.
in fact, a lot of your camera angles are ones purposely used by questionable sellers to downplay the severity of centering issues. a huge pet-peeve of collectors.
you don't find it odd that you have 4 different cards each w a different angle? so you know what you're doing. if you didn't, they'd all be taken the same way. if your using "centered" in your titles, i would remove it.
So quick to judge/assume. Where in this do you think I'm misleading peeps? I'm asking people's opinions who I think really know the card industry.
None of my cards are listed on ebay or amazon, although I've been tempted to try. Just in a few private chats I've had with some they mentioned the centering is off or it's not 50/50 without explaining. Orig I thought the centering meant the actual photo of the player(s). As for the angle of the pics, I simply laid the cards on my floor or counter and snapped pics with my phone. If I were to sell it, you can be sure I'd take a bunch of pics. And i would just let the grading (PSA) stand for itself without mentioning centering and stuff I'm not clear on. As for the MC label on the Bird/Magic, when I purchased it years ago, I didn't realize that meant "missed cut" as that wasn't in the description. Hence I purchased another one without the MC as that was a childhood card.
The carpet on that Jordan is miscut!
assume? you said you were selling. and that the buyers said they weren't centered. which they aren't. but you assumed they were talking about your photos being off-centered? are you just selling pictures of your cards? because that makes zero sense.
and you obviously knew that "mc" meant miscut, but you still think they are referring to your pics? by definition a card that is miscut like that can't be centered.
again, why is each card pictured like that? could it be that each individual angle used on its particular card attempts to mask the centering? you very well could have done it subliminally to make the card look as visually appealing as possible, but still does not negate the fact that that's exactly why it was done.
but to answer your question on "what is centered and what does 50/50 mean", take a look at those cards straight on...the exact opposite of those, home slice.
Each card is pictured like that because I decided to take the photos that way, no other reason. The Trout and Bird/Magic photos were taken years ago while the Jordan photo was just taken recently. The pics were lazily taken, meant to text/brag to friends about renewing childhood hobbies.
And yes I know what MC means now but when I purchased the card around 2016, I bought it thinking there was no defect.
I should not have shown that card here as it doesn't pertain to the conversation.
I was hoping some members could post their's with perfect centering so I can see the difference. In general, when people post/comment here about cards, I do agree about corners, blurriness, etc., but I don't see discernible differences on centering.
And that's not carpet on the Jordan, that's the kitchen counter.
carpet kitchen counters can't be too hygienic, right?
but sure thing, here's a few:
centered but this one isn't 50/50 however, notice how the card is flat on the table and not taken at any angle. could i take one w a suggesting angle-away to make it appear 50/50? sure, i could. but why? even when it gets sold, a flat scan will only be used. angled pics on expensive cards are for the birds. ones angled in an attempt to hide said centering issues are used by shysters. don't be a shyster.
centered 50/50:
"centered" but definitely not 50/50:
I see your point about taking all the pics at the same angle. Never even occurred to me.
So for centering purposes, you're referring to the white borders being the exact same size, left/right, bottom/top. I had orig thought centering was strictly the player's image being in the exact middle of the card frame.
I guess I'm disappointed in that I thought all graded 7's, 8's, 9's, etc. were the same but even within each grade there are variations.
*Does it look like carpet? It's actually granite..lol.
there are many ways to do it, a ruler being the easiest. but these two "text" boxes are the exact same. default size when opening "mark up" on my ipad. do you see how much more of the word "text" appears on the right border than the left?
left side doesn't even get the entire "e" in. right side gets the entire "e" and a solid amount of the "x".
I do see that!
ok, so we are getting somewhere. if it were 50/50 it'd have the same amount of "text" on both sides. without putting in too much more effort, i'd guess your card is prolly 45/55. premiums on centered cards can be substantial. and you can not expect to get anywhere near what a dead centered 9 goes for. all 9s are not created the same. and w/ the emphasis that is placed upon centering, if you could get anywhere near the avg vcp price for a 9, i would take it and run.
also when you go to post the cards for sale or further text brags, remove them from the baggies, take straight on pics or scans and for the love of whoever, just use a plain black background. you want the focus to be on the card itself, not your shag carpet counters! 😉
you're trying to sell the sizzle, not the steak. no one wants to see a bird rc sleeved up in an oversized slab condom sitting atop a kitchen table. also consider using "perfect sleeve" psa slab bags instead of those. it's like third grader buying magnums.
@hslice
https://www.psacard.com/resources/gradingstandards#cards
Knowledge is power.
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
yea yea I realize I need to work on my picture taking skills. I thought it was a good photo when I was able to not have the shadow of my hands and head in it...lol
I've never sold anything online. When the idea of selling my cards occurred to me, I actually reached out to some people asking how do I know my cards are legit, even if they're graded. What if I got fooled and purchased fake cards? Some of you guys have even posted examples of fake cards and listings on ebay. Too much stress for the very casual old school hobbyist like me.
I do appreciate your clarification.
There is a guy on these boards selling a centering tool for cards.
check ebay also
1948-76 Topps FB Sets
FB & BB HOF Player sets
1948-1993 NY Yankee Team Sets
I would make sure to get a good one. I thought it was a interesting concept for "quick measurements" but the centering tool I bought had so many lines and numbers printed on it, it made it unusable because I couldn't see the card lol.
@> @hslice said:
Do you have a 3 in one printer? You may have a scanner and not even know it. The difference between a photo and a scan is massive and for cards like the ones you’ve posted most buyers will want a scan to scrutinize. Some is just the trust that the seller is legitimate and some is the ability to really look over a card before purchase. Some people will want the card and some people will want the holder, especially if they think they can get the same card into a higher numbered holder.
Again, same card but one is crystal clear and one is...well, it hides the flaws a little (a lot?) better.
Hope it helps.
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
yes, I do see the big difference with the same card in two different holders!
I'm going to spend a lot of money on a card on ebay.
I want to inspect it THOROUGHLY. Front, back, zoomed. I'm going to get my screen ruler out to measure centering.
BAD:
GREAT:
50/50
Get a scanner. It seems you now should know what "centered" and "50/50" means.
Good luck with any future sales.
All cards are different, though many are very, very close, but PSA has only ten straight grades. There just have to be 8s that just made it and 8s that just missed 9. There are also all kinds of ways your 8 can vary from my 8. Some will find one more appealing and others the other.