Where can i get a sportscard centering guage?

reggie1

Hi it's Robert. Is there a centering guage for measuring sportscards? I want to guage them first before sending them in.

dontippet

I would think the easiest would be to scan the card, blow it up, print it out, then measure it.

I remember back in the late 80's, there were advertisements for templates you could buy for the three major brands. I think the template was like a topholder with markings on the front. You would insert your card and line up the "picture" with the markings to see how far off-center your card was. Does anybody remember these? If I remember correctly you could buy the Topps, Fleer, and Donruss for a given year for around $20.

Don

RepublicaninMass

I think there is actually a jewlers loupe that has a glass slide rule to accurately measure the centering. Semms like a lot less work. It was called some kind of special loupe.

MorrellMan

<< <i>I think there is actually a jewlers loupe that has a glass slide rule to accurately measure the centering. Semms like a lot less work. It was called some kind of special loupe. >>



I think you are referring to a linen loupe that is used for counting threads; but the ruler isn't broken into small enough increments (I think it's actually 1/32nds")

RepublicaninMass

It is called a peak loupe I think this does it

Mefer

I have a gizmo called or made by "Center-It." It lays over the top of a card with a bunch of lines. By using it, you are able to get the centering. It actually works pretty well for my needs. Not sure if it is made anymore. I have not seen it advertised anywhere in a while. If you are interested further, I can look at it when I get home and see if I have some contact information.

MorrellMan

Republicaninmass - do you the measuring increments on that Peak loupe?

LuxuryWines

Mark,

I believe the peak loupe is measured in mm's. Levi Bleam at 707 sportscards sells them ... They are worth the investment to be sure oon centering on a close call... PS it is also what the grdaers at PSA use....Jeff

A761506

I've seen the Peak loupe's... they are very nice, a good one runs around $80 I believe in 10X. There is a measuring device built into it that is broken down into 1/10th mm's. It makes it possible to measure centering exactly. However, if you wanted to measure centering, but with a slight degree of error possible, then you can do it with any ruler that has mm's. Just measure from the edge of the printing at the farthest point from the border on one side, and from the closest point to the border on the other side. Say it measures 2.5mm on one side, convert that to 25, say it's 1.9 on the other (convert to 19)... add them up and divide and you have centering equal to 57/43, which is theoretically qualified to be in a PSA 10 holder. Here's where measuring centering becomes a problem... PSA says they allow up to 60/40 centering on a PSA 10 card, however, you would be hard pressed to ever find one that is 60/40, meaning, they don't even follow their own standards. Cards of PSA 10 quality that are centered 60/40 are in PSA 9 holders.

On a side note, an excellent ruler for measuring cards in general can be had at a store like Office Max for $3. It is a 6" steel ruler with mm on one side, and inches broken down to 1/64th's on the other. PSA & GAI (that I know for certain) allows a maximum of 1/32" leeway in the size of the card, so this makes it much easier to identify trim jobs that would be rejected.

boggs301012

Found this on ebay a few years ago . For a few dollars it works very well. A clear piece of plastic you lay over the card.



James

blacklab

Levi Bleam (707 Sportscards) has them. Same ones used by PSA. They run about $100.
Doug

blacklab

One more note. I may have the same one that James displayed. If it is, they are for the modern cards. Don't work for the larger older ones, e.g. the 50's.
Doug

rvc

whats the address for 707 sportscards?

JonB

umm.... http://www.707sportscards.com

lol

RepublicaninMass

Spoke with Levi, seems with all the buzz he is asking $110 for them now

1420sports

Card Centering

DRS

Link to Peak Optics Website

What is recommended?

Peak 1983 Scale Loupe 10X??

Peak 2028 Light Scale Loupe 10x??

Late1970sTopps

DRS:

The lupe the PSA graders use is the Peak 10X Scale Lupe. The model number is 1983. I've seen them for sale on the net as low as $59.99. However, most of the time they are in the $70 to $80 range. This is the same lupe that Levi sells for $110. I bought mine from Levi at the Chicago National a few years ago and found them doing a Google search for about 40% less on-line when I returned home.

I have found that my lupe has paid for itself 20 times over. I used to talk myself into believing that the centering was better than it actually was on cards only to have them come back with lower grades. With this lupe, I know exactly what the centering is and now can make an informed decision as to whether the card makes the measurement or not. I also know when I'm taking a chance and hoping to get the benefit of the doubt. This is extremely important when you are dealing with cards from the 70's and 80's when you lose money on an 8.

Frank Smith

reggie1

Thanks to everybody for the help? I'll be getting a 10X Peak Loupe.

jimtb

That centering gauge is cool, but 110 bucks for a piece of plastic with lines on it, come on!

DaBigHurt

Of the hundreds of thousands of cards PSA receives a month or two, how often do you think they have to actually use a device to measure the centering on a card? Especially if we're talking about a card that has a value of less than $400-500?