OC Definition? 1953 Bowman Color Whitey Ford
 

I am trying to find a nice example to upgrade my 1953 Bowman Color Whitey Ford.

I am seeing a lot of stuff but most have terrible centering - to the point of being distracting. I am wondering why these cards are not classified by PSA as OC?

If they were higher grade (8+, etc) would these be called OC?

(On a separate note, I know that his isn't BST but if you have a nice Whitey in a 4/5/6 range and reasonably centered, let me know.)

Below are a couple of the described off centered examples as well as the link to my search. Is this something where the card was in a certain spot on the sheet and that caused most to be off centered?

Yes, those would be (OC) if they were graded higher.

Bookmark this link:
https://www.psacard.com/resources/gr...andards/#cards

Thank You! If I read correctly, an OC qualifier will only be given for PSA 7 or above(?).

The MC shown in the example is a PSA 5. These Ford's are so OC they look almost miscut. The example speaks to atypical cut. Since the Fords have so many off center, is that why they are not considered OC?

Also, in the below 7 and 8 examples, I am not sure why they wouldn't be denoted as OC since NM 7 is the cutoff?

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw...6&_stpos=16066

Hats off to you for building this set. I think it is gorgeous, but the centering difficulties have ultimately been too much for me to overcome and maintain sanity! ;)

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

How I believe it works...
 

My understanding with PSA is that you decide if you want qualifiers on your submissions or not. If you mark no qualifiers on your card and it is (OC), PSA will deduct two grades from the card.

PSA 7 (OC) = PSA 5 (with no qualifiers)
PSA 8 (OC) = PSA 6

You get the idea.

See example below... It is a Feller PSA 7 (OC). It could also have graded as PSA 5 with no qualifiers.

In terms of what is more preferable, a PSA 5 that is off center but has really sharp corners vs. a PSA 5 which is well centered with soft corners is in the eye of the beholder...

Makes sense - so the 7 and 8 above must be near pristine except for the centering to have a straight grade

I've been at this set for a couple years, and it's truly the most frustrating and most rewarding set I've ever tried. Centering is terrible, and registration is even worse. I have always thought the Ford was one of the hardest cards in the set, if not the hardest. I've seen maybe one centered copy before. Plus, the color varies widely... sometimes it looks like a grey cloudy day, other times a magnificent blue summer sky lighting up Whitey's face. Finding the right combination of centering, color, and registration is nearly impossible.

But when you find it, man is it great.

So yeah, good luck :D. And post if you find a good one!

Yes....
 

That is the case... see below. Both cards have the same sharp corners and similar coloring. The card on the left is not centered and has the (OC) qualifier. It could have also gotten a PSA 6 w/o any qualifiers

Nope. You can get an OC qualifier in any grade down to PSA 4 (i.e., PSA 6 OC, PSA 5 OC, PSA 4 OC) I can't seem to find an OC qualifier on a lower-graded card, since they tend to fall into the MC category, but I'm sure someone will post one as soon as I hit reply. :)

Thank You Bob. When I look at the qualifier comparison in the thread I’m beginning to think (sarcastically) that the Fords are all so OV that it is the “typical cut” therefore no OC. If I see one dead centered it might say OC because that is so atypical:D

I found a 4 that looks nice. I wanted to go with a 5 but I have to buy the card in this case...

I do think the location on the sheet has an impact, and I know there are those on the board who are experts on sheets, cutting, and the impact on the card.

But I think it's why some cards are tougher to get centered

In my experience, the Ford is extremely difficult to find decently centered. The only very nearly perfectly centered example I have seen in years was in PSA "Good" and went for about $70 on ebay. It is so rare with that centering that I was planning to bid, but suffered a computer malfunction just before I could initiate my snipe bid with 9 seconds left. Oh well!

Best wishes,

Larry

I like the left-right centering on mine, but the top-bottom kept it out of an 8 holder. :o

http://www.bobsbbcards.com/images/ba...man153Ford.jpg

I picked up this 4 the other day from PWCC.

I really wanted a 5 or 6 but this didn’t have distracting centering and can hold the spot to the time being

My favorite set of the 1950s.

I have been working on it for 10 years, but only 1 year in graded holders. I look for well centered cards as my first priority, then clarity of image, then grade, in that order. I will take a nice centered clear PSA 5 over an OC 7 or 8.

My observations agree with the above comments. Many, many cards on eBay and other venues have poor centering, roller marks on the front, wax stains on the backs, poor registration.

Competition for the better stuff is fierce, throw away the price guides.

Seems like I am endlessly upgrading.

Sorry to take this off topic (OC VS MC) but how does this card qualify as a MC?
It doesn't follow PSA's guidelines, imo, but I am not as educated as most on here. I assume it's the back and not the front?
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/372262902303?ul_noapp=true
https://www.psacard.com/resources/gr...ndards/#detail

The back of the card has a red sliver of the next card's name box on the left border. That's why it got MC designation. Although PSA spelled it wrong: 8 MC) instead of 8 (MC).