Corners or Centering?

mexpo75 · February 25, 2015 7:11AM

What is general consensus? On a vintage card is it better for stronger corners and poor centering(not MC) or slightly touched corner and nearly perfect centering?

RipublicaninMass · February 25, 2015 7:13AM

centering guy myself

LarkinCollector · February 25, 2015 7:15AM

General consensus on this board, centering. Personally, neither. Registration/surface are more important than both for my eye.

mexpo75 · February 25, 2015 7:24AM

I am looking at 63 Rose. I like centering but wondering if it is worth a little premium in price.

Dboneesq · February 25, 2015 7:24AM

Slightly touched corner and nearly perfect centering for me.

LarkinCollector · February 25, 2015 7:26AM

<< I am looking at 63 Rose. I like centering but wondering if it is worth a little premium in price. >>

That's a card that will definitely go for a premium if centered.

BaltimoreYankee · February 25, 2015 7:28AM

Agree with Larkin that most will say centering. I'm a corners person myself.

gemint · February 25, 2015 7:29AM

On a '63 Rose, the corner wear would have to be on the lower corners because wear on the upper corners stands out like a sore thumb.

ThoseBackPages · February 25, 2015 7:29AM

Centering….always

charrigan · February 25, 2015 7:31AM

Despite those who comment with a presumption of universality and higher "truth", beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. Buy what you like. And, don't look down on others for buying what they like. There is no such thing as a "better" card, just a range of ratings based on preferences that are themselves subjective.

All that said, cards that are well-centered seem to sell for the highest amount. That reflects demand and, correspondingly, some consensus on the answer to your question.

DanBessette · February 25, 2015 8:14AM

As long as a card isn't so OC that its miscut, I'm a corners guy myself.

lahmejoon · February 25, 2015 8:16AM

I prefer corners also, but I understand significance of a well centered card.

MrNearMint · February 25, 2015 8:24AM

I like cards that are razor sharp and bright!

ReggieCleveland · February 25, 2015 8:27AM

I'm a centering fan and will pay a premium for it.

vintagefun · February 25, 2015 8:37AM

Eye appeal for me is a card that was a 9/10 off the press. So centering is key. If it's well loved life garnered it some wear on the corners or little creases, I'm ok with that especially if it gets me a better price.

JoeBanzai · February 25, 2015 9:08AM

It's not an either or for me. I won't buy any card that isn't well centered with sharp corners.

If a card is slightly towards the top but centered 50-50 side to side I don't mind it too much, but it would still have to be 55-45 or so.

Some cards are almost impossible to find centered, so that is an additional challenge.

judgebuck · February 25, 2015 9:19AM

Centering most important to me. Years ago it was corners, but all the centering comments on this board over time led me to see the light.

Dusto · February 25, 2015 9:24AM

I'm a corners AND centering guy for my collection.

kgibson · February 25, 2015 9:31AM

My brain tells me the card with better corners is closer to the way it was the day it came out if its pack. Me eyes, probably because they aren't as sharp as they once were, see the centering better than they see the corners.

ToneD · February 25, 2015 9:37AM

Centering is at the top of the list for me. Although if it's a rare card, then you basically gotta go with what you can find.

DM23HOF · February 25, 2015 9:39AM

Centering and focus for me. If a card is blurry and dead centered I will still pass.

When a card I want is very expensive, I seek out a centered, focused example that has weak corners or preferably back wear. I like a picture framed well, and not crooked.

I have also found that when viewing cards in hand, on an online gallery, or on a wall display, I can see centering and image a mile away, and not so much the corners. Thus for me centering and focus are the main determinants of eye appeal.

Personally, I love the rarity/hunt for great centering on certain cards. It makes finding a card for the collection a challenge and process, and thus fun.

As someone said above, it is all personal preference, personal aesthetics, what simply "looks right" to the collector's eye. My personal take is that all cards were "born" at the factory with sharp corners, but few were "born" with the rare attribute of great centering. To me a card was intended by the manufacturer to be handled or take a journey through time, and thus some honest corner wear is understandable and natural. Whereas the designer/maker of the card definitely intended it to be centered, and so poor centering is more, to me, a mistake at the factory that resulted in a card that is not the intended, ideal look.

MantleMarisFordBerra · February 25, 2015 9:57AM

Hmmmm good question. To be honest when I was younger centering didn't seem to matter as much as it does now - to me or the hobby as a whole. I kinda like the look of a card that looks like it just came out of a pack, even of the centering isn't perfect. I will say that registration is more important to me than either centering or corners.

DanBessette · February 25, 2015 10:04AM

<< Hmmmm good question. To be honest when I was younger centering didn't seem to matter as much as it does now - to me or the hobby as a whole. I kinda like the look of a card that looks like it just came out of a pack, even of the centering isn't perfect. I will say that registration is more important to me than either centering or corners. >>

^^ this.

And Matty, I was SHOCKED by your answer!

Mintacular · February 25, 2015 10:07AM

I think bad centering is a non-starter for most collectors, and corners have a more "gray" area... As a result, the corner quality is more negotiable so to speak with most collectors if the centering is good.... So with that in mind, centering is more important JMO

judgebuck · February 26, 2015 11:46AM

Here is a good example. Corners or centering?
[URL=http://s260.photobucket.com/user/dbuck01/media/IMG_0001_1.jpg.html]

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CocoaBeachDodgers · February 26, 2015 2:26PM

Before I answer, I agree it is completely up to the individual, so there is no right or wrong answer.

As for me, I will go with centering for a couple of reasons: 1) When a card is being shown in a collection, may it be on a stand on a shelf, it is harder to see the corners than the centering.
2) for resale value, the centered cards seam to carry the premium.
3) At age 62 now, I need a frigen loupe to get a good look at corners where I can still notice centering.

skrezyna23 · February 26, 2015 2:48PM

<< And Matty, I was SHOCKED by your answer! >>

You stole my thunder. I actually thought of Matt once I saw the title of the thread.

ClockworkAngel · February 26, 2015 3:18PM

Definitely in the centering camp and, like Matty, will immediately pass on a card off centered without a 2nd thought. But if it's 50/50 and see corner wear, my eyes go back to centering. For vintage, centering is paramount to me. Corner wear sometimes has to be found, but centering is impossible to miss. There are exceptions, the 1971 set is a great example where centering is more forgivable to corner wear, which stands out like a sore thumb on the 71's

MULLINS5 · February 26, 2015 8:12PM

Great responses thus far, and agree that it comes down to the owner.

It's really a little bit of everything for me. I like a card that, had the condition not been compromised over the years, would have a decent shot at a PSA 9 or 10.

Then there are some cards that I can't be picky about, like the 1966 Topps USA Test Hockey set I'm working on. Low grade examples show-up on eBay at the rate of one every six to eight weeks, so I pick them up and am thrilled no matter how they look.

Since the '66 Tests rarely show up, I started working on a raw 1979 OPC Hockey set too, concentrating on centering only and eventually working my way up. For me, the process of upgrading begins with centering, so I suppose that's more important, again to me, than corners.

I can see why corners are important to collectors. Kevin Ledwith wrote in the July 2009 SMR article, The Grading Approach to Corners, "In grading a card, eye-appeal is paramount. If you have a well-centered card with soft or fuzzy corners, then the eye-appeal is greatly diminished. It is extremely important for you, the collector, to protect those corners. From the very moment a card is printed, the corners are at risk from being nicked. There are so many stages: printing, stacking, cutting, packing, boxing, shipping, displaying, purchasing, opening; and finally, putting the card into a sleeve or binder. These stages result in so many opportunities for a corner or two to get dinged."

JBrules · February 26, 2015 11:48PM

I am drawn to centering but certainly understand the corners. When I started collecting again (just over a year ago) I would buy the holder not the card. Below is an example of this. Bought the PSA 8 first then PSA 9 then the PSA 7. I sold the 8 because I got to the point of not being able to look at how off-centered it was. Got the 9 and like it a lot but when I stumbled on the 7 I could not resist buying it because of the centering. For me it is a tough call if I had to choose between the 9 or 7 because they both have some great qualities that stand out. Lucky for me I do not have to make that decision because I like them both. Which one do you like best?

LarkinCollector · February 26, 2015 11:56PM

<< I am drawn to centering but certainly understand the corners. When I started collecting again (just over a year ago) I would buy the holder not the card. Below is an example of this. Bought the PSA 8 first then PSA 9 then the PSA 7. I sold the 8 because I got to the point of not being able to look at how off-centered it was. Got the 9 and like it a lot but when I stumbled on the 7 I could not resist buying it because of the centering. For me it is a tough call if I had to choose between the 9 or 7 because they both have some great qualities that stand out. Lucky for me I do not have to make that decision because I like them both. Which one do you like best? >>

I like the 7 the best, but not due to the centering. The crisp registration and bold colors are fantastic! The PD/snow in the black is a touch distracting, but even the 9 has it, though it's in a better location on that one.

rcmb3220 · February 27, 2015 12:12AM

I never really had a preference until I started reading this board. Now centering, specifically l/r centering is most important and a card more than 60/40 OC left to right kind of bugs me. I do have some nice o/c raw cards that look like they came right from a pack that I'm happy with, though.

Dumb question, but what is registration? Is it the printing alignment?

80sOPC · February 27, 2015 12:17AM

The centering craze has reached it's tipping point, folks are showing off cards that look like they went through a meat grinder that are somehow gems because of good centering. I have a 33 Shore that has an OC desgnation that looks like it came right out of a pack, which to me is amazing considering how old the card is. I know some guys were prefer a centered version of the same card but unless you get up in straight 8/9s they all have browning, rounded corners or surface issues.

LarkinCollector · February 27, 2015 12:21AM

<< Dumb question, but what is registration? Is it the printing alignment? >>

Yes, the alignment/focus and colors. It seems cards with the boldest colors that really pop are the most susceptible to PD issues (fisheyes, snow and color bleed).

DanBessette · February 27, 2015 12:26AM

I like the PSA 7 Bench the best, but it's not because of the corners or the centering. The 8 and 9 are noticeably tilted, whereas if there's any tilt at all in the 7 it's slight enough that my eye doesn't immediately notice it. As I've said before, tilt kills me.

belz · February 27, 2015 6:43AM

<< I like the PSA 7 Bench the best, but it's not because of the corners or the centering. The 8 and 9 are noticeably tilted, whereas if there's any tilt at all in the 7 it's slight enough that my eye doesn't immediately notice it. As I've said before, tilt kills me. >>

+1

Corners or Centering?

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