MC vs. OC Qualifiers

[Buythatcard]

This has always bugged me. What is the real difference between the OC (Off Centered) and MC (Miscut) Qualifiers. To me they usually look the same.

I included 2 cards in this post. One has a OC and the other a MC. Which one do you think has the MC Qualifier?

[4815162342]

I would guess the '69 is the MC but since you're trying to make a point I will guess it's the '58.

[swarmee]

69 has a Diamond Cut, so I'd guess it has the MC. However, showing the backs if they have any printing lines should also be considered.

[brewing]

Is it me or do allot of the cards with qualifiers seem over graded. No way is that 69 an 8.

[bn2cardz]

69 - MC it is miscut as it is a diamond cut
58 - OC it is Off Centered but the borders are still straight

[Buythatcard]

Never too late to learn something new but what is meant by a diamond cut?

I also agree that that the card is over graded but the qualifier brings it down a notch or two.

[glchen]

How are the backs? MC usually means part of the card inside the border has been cut off (just passes on these cards) or you can see part of the next card. Both front and back are checked for these criteria .

[glynparson]

The MC could very easily be on the back of the card. From the looks of the front both should only be oc. A tilted photo on a square card does not generally get MC but a card without a square cut may. MC is usually reserved for cards worse than 99-1 centering. Edited: Now that scans are added the 1969 is clearly mc.

[Luke]

The MC designation seems to be given out very arbitrarily. This one is just o/c a bit top-to-bottom.

[Buythatcard]

Just included the backs.

[bn2cardz]

The back makes it more clear. If the cut goes into the print at all it is Miscut. This applies to the Lajoie as well.

[Luke]

Ah, ok. That makes sense. The comma on mine may touch the bottom edge.

[Buythatcard]

Starting to make sense. So, if the cut goes into the lettering, its a MC otherwise its a OC. If it's not a MC, then at what point is it considered a OC? How much does it have to be off to be considered OC?

[glynparson]

It depends on the grade, different grades have different centering standard, please see psacard.com for more details on the centering criteria as i do not know each grades parameters off the top of my head any more.

[Peter_Spaeth]

On some Wilson Franks I can't tell the difference between oc and mc.

[pclpads]

Originally Posted by Buythatcard

Never too late to learn something new but what is meant by a diamond cut?

Sub "tilt" for "diamond" and you have it. '69MM is MC on back due to chopped print at the top border. '58MM is just badly O/C.

[4815162342]

Nm

[bobbvc]

Seems like one qualifier would be all you would need. Unless Newman from Seinfeld is doing the grading. "While all Mis-Cut cards are Off-Center, all Off-Center cards are not Necessarily Mis-Cut".

[Fred]

Ok, who is going to fess up to selecting BOTH or NONE in the poll?

[EvilKing00]

Id say the 69 is mis cut, as the back shows , to me anyway asbits miscut

[Buythatcard]

It appears most people got it right. Yet I still think that the qualifiers are too close to tell in many cases. I would rather they do away with qualifiers and just adjust the grade downward. Instead of giving a card an 8 with a Qualifier, why not just give it a 7?

Thanks for your feedback!

[vthobby]

Originally Posted by Buythatcard

It appears most people got it right. Yet I still think that the qualifiers are too close to tell in many cases. I would rather they do away with qualifiers and just adjust the grade downward. Instead of giving a card an 8 with a Qualifier, why not just give it a 7?

Thanks for your feedback!

Howard,

PSA does allow you to basically tell them "no qualifiers" and you will get a lowered grade if they deemed a qualifier to be present. For instance if you had a PSA 9 which was way off center you could get the PSA 9 O/C or if you noted "no qualifiers" then it would come back a PSA 7. SGC and Beckett just lower the grade accordingly and do not put qualifiers on their slabs. FYI.

thanks, mike

[Buythatcard]

Mike,

Didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

[glynparson]

does not always drop a card two grades, some will drop more than 2 grades and some will not grade without a qualifier, most MC and MK cards do not have this optioning out of qualifiers option.

[frankbmd]

Another scenario is when the printing on the front of the sheet does not line up with the printing on the back of the sheet. The card below is an example where the front is fine or just a little OC and the back is miscut. If the back had not been MC, then the front would have been MC. Such a card is inevitably MC on one side or the other (as would the other cards on the same sheet). Such an anomaly in a T206 card becomes a little "freaky". So I gladly present my OC/MC Minoso RC Freak. Wow

[vthobby]

Originally Posted by glynparson

does not always drop a card two grades, some will drop more than 2 grades and some will not grade without a qualifier, most MC and MK cards do not have this optioning out of qualifiers option.

Glyn,

Great point,

Found this on their site:


Q: Can I request “No Qualifiers” on my submission?
A: You can make this request and it could mean that the original grade may lower. Also, while you may request no qualifiers on your submission, it is up to the discretion of our graders to determine if the qualifier can be removed. The qualifier can not be left off in all instances and no refund will be given if we determine that we can not remove the qualifier.

It has been my experience that EVERY time I have requested No Qualifier, they have granted that request and I have sent over 300 cards alone just this year so my track record is good on this point. I also called customer service a few months ago and they told me that in the Registry, that if a card has a qualifier, then it is figured into the equation as a card that is exactly 2 grades lower so you can rely on that if you were wondering.

Thanks for the correction,

peace, mike

[Buythatcard]

Frank,

Just when I thought I might be understanding the difference, you had to show that Minoso card.

I wonder how PSA would grade that card? OC/MC or MC/OC or Auth?

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by Buythatcard

Frank,

Just when I thought I might be understanding the difference, you had to show that Minoso card.

I wonder how PSA would grade that card? OC/MC or MC/OC or Auth?

Well if it's minus 2 for a qualifier, it must be a

8.5 OC/MC

but i'm not qualified to render an opinion.

[swarmee]

They do not list multiple qualifiers on any card, to my knowledge.

[Buythatcard]

So, if a card has multiple qualifiers, OC, MC, ST etc, how does a grading company pick which one to use? Speaking of qualifiers, ST is another one that bugs me. How do they determine a ST (stain) qualifier? I have seen so many graded cards with markings of some sort but no ST qualifier, yet I have seen cards with ST and I had to strain to find the stain.

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by Buythatcard

So, if a card has multiple qualifiers, OC, MC, ST etc, how does a grading company pick which one to use? Speaking of qualifiers, ST is another one that bugs me. How do they determine a ST (stain) qualifier? I have seen so many graded cards with markings of some sort but no ST qualifier, yet I have seen cards with ST and I had to strain to find the stain.

Send them that as a question to get their answer. The level of qualifier also depends on the grade that is given, and whether damage could/should be expected at that level. It's possible the ones you saw the ST mark on were high grade cards, while the non-ST cards were PSA 2/3 or so. Same thing goes for OC. OC only plays on cards that are PSA5 and up or so, since after that, they accept a wide variety of off-centeredness.

[glchen]

Originally Posted by Buythatcard

So, if a card has multiple qualifiers, OC, MC, ST etc, how does a grading company pick which one to use? Speaking of qualifiers, ST is another one that bugs me. How do they determine a ST (stain) qualifier? I have seen so many graded cards with markings of some sort but no ST qualifier, yet I have seen cards with ST and I had to strain to find the stain.

The ST qualifier is for wax stains not the typical water stains you would think. Many submitters remove wax stains with nylon before submitting, but if there is still residue remaining, the card would still receive the qualifier.

The point with most qualifiers is to point out a defect on the card you may miss after a quick glance.

[Buythatcard]

Originally Posted by glchen

The ST qualifier is for wax stains not the typical water stains you would think. Many submitters remove wax stains with nylon before submitting, but if there is still residue remaining, the card would still receive the qualifier.

The point with most qualifiers is to point out a defect on the card you may miss after a quick glance.

Always thought ST was for any type of stain. So, I guess if the stain is not a wax stain, we are now looking at a MK qualifier.

Does it ever end?