A device to measure centering
tennesseebanker
Posts: 5,433 ✭✭✭
Isnt there a device out there that measures centering on your computer ? I thought someone posted a link to the program but evidently mine is gone now.
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but how do you divide say a card that measures say 10 pixels on one side and 15 on the other, or something like that. So in other words how do you measure a cards centering by pixels ??
10 on one side, 15 on the other: 10+15=25
side 1: 10/25 = 0.4, side 2: 15/25=0.6
so that card is 40/60
Thanks again O great one !
<< <i>Just so you know, PSA doesn't measure centering. The guidelines you see in the grading standards are just that--guidelines--and cards that exceed these centing tolerances routinely appear in higher end holders. >>
Not entirely true. PSA definitely definitely measures centering, but if a card is borderline in terms of centering, but otherwise exhibits excellent eye appeal, they will give the card the higher grade. In PSA's own words:
<< <i>A 5% leeway is given to the front centering minimum standards for cards which grade NM 7 or better. For example, a card which 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. >>
...
<< <i>Again, the vast majority of grading is applied with a basic, objective standard but no one can ignore the small (yet sometimes significant) subjective element. This issue will usually arise when centering and/or eye-appeal are in question. For example, while most cards fall clearly within the centering guidelines for a particular grade, some cards fall either just within or just outside the printed centering standards. The key point to remember is that the graders reserve the right, based on the strength or weakness of the eye-appeal, to make a judgment call on the grade of a particular card.
What does this mean exactly?
Well, take this example. Let's say you have a 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax rookie card that is right on the edge of the acceptable guidelines for centering in a particular grade. The 1955 Koufax card has a yellow background that tends to blend with the border of the card. In other words, the contrast isn't great so poor centering may not be much of an eyesore - the borders are not clearly defined. In this case, if the card exhibits extremely strong characteristics in other areas (color, corners, etc.), an exception may be made to allow an otherwise slightly off-center card to fall within an unqualified grade (no OC qualifier). This is a rare occurrence but it does happen.
On the other hand, there are cards that technically fall within the printed PSA Grading Standards that may be prevented from reaching a particular, unqualified grade because the eye-appeal becomes an issue. For example, a 1957 Topps Sandy Koufax card has great contrast between the white borders and the picture because the background is very dark. It is possible that a 1957 Topps Sandy Koufax, one that technically measures for a particular grade - let's say 70/30, may be prevented from reaching that unqualified grade because the market would view that card as off-center - based on eye-appeal issues. Again, this is a rare occurrence but it does happen from time to time when a judgment call has to be made on a card that pushes the limits for centering. >>