higher graded off centered cards vs. lower graded centered cards?

Lampy

just using this card as an example. would you rather have an off center 1950 Bowman Lou Groza PSA 7 RC or a centered 1950 Bowman Lou Groza PSA 5 RC? Opinions please. Thanks!

llafoe

I'll always take centered over off-centered... not sure I'd take less than a PSA 7 in that period though!

mattyc_collection

I'm sure this answer will seem obvious to my homies here, but YES 100% I would take a centered 5 over and OC 7. Heck, I take centered 1.5s over OC 8s. End of the day, for me, I don't like pictures hanging crooked on my wall, and a crookedly framed image gives me no pleasure when staring at it. Then there's how, especially with certain cards, it seems a sharp corner is more common that beautiful centering, and hence the centering to me is the mark of a genuinely rarer specimen, because it is the rarer attribute. But in the end it is all a subjective, personal choice and whatever makes the collector forget his daily chafing is what is best!

BaltimoreYankee

I'll take the higher grade OC card.



Edited to add: I think Fritz Ackley gave Wally Moon a run for his money in the unibrow contest.

bobsbbcards

9OC all day long.

belz

centered all day long

MikeyP

The OC qualifier would bother me too much. I may be able to accept it if the card was a PSA 9.

mattinglymint23

two schools on this one...

a lot of momentume in the Centered low/mid technical grade camp

LarkinCollector

For me it depends on the specific issue and whether the OC is T/B or R/L in relation to card orientation, some are more distracting than others. For example, the Carlton RC shown already doesn't bother me at all (especially if the top border was evenly tapped under the lip), the R/L centering is great and that's what my eye catches after seeing how sharp the corners are. The Spahn bothers my eye a bit more, but a 9Q from that set is still an incredible card.

Bottom line, it's all subjective and I just purchase the best example I can afford that appeals to me. If I can only afford a low grade anyway, I try to find one that a) has good registration/focus (my personal #1) then b) is decently centered.

ToneD

I'm a low grade pre-war collector so centering is most important to me. But centering would still be my main priority if I collected post war. The type of cards DM23HOF has been recently buying and showing are off the hook and exactly what I would be going after. I understand the allure of high grade vintage, but I'd rather have a bunch of mid grade high eye appeal cards versus a few high grade cards. It's all personal preference and there is no wrong way to collect.

Stone193

I'm loaded with OC's that I like.

They're the "Expatriates of Ephemera" Some see them as the outcasts but...

after all, who doesn't like an OC Mick?







And others?

BIGBEN7

I love my o/c PSA 9 Stargell rookie.