PSA and off center cards

[DBesse27]

A PSA 7 OC is considered to be a 7 in every way except centering. If the centering was improved it would be a straight PSA 7. That's what the qualifier means.

If a PSA 7 OC was cracked out and submitted with "no qualifiers", it would most likely come back a PSA 5 but a 6 is possible.

[irv]

Originally Posted by Batpig

Unless I'm misunderstanding you, that's not correct. If an OC 7 wasn't OC, it would be a 7. It only gets OC if it doesn't fit within the centering allowance for a 7.

Originally Posted by DBesse27

A PSA 7 OC is considered to be a 7 in every way except centering. If the centering was improved it would be a straight PSA 7. That's what the qualifier means.

If a PSA 7 OC was cracked out and submitted with "no qualifiers", it would most likely come back a PSA 5 but a 6 is possible.

Thanks. I now see Batpig was right in what he was saying. I was thinking more in the lines of what I was saying, if you requested no qualifiers, the card would drop a grade or 2.

But, with that being said, has anyone seen a "10 OC" card before?

[DBesse27]

No, PSA does not issue 10's with qualifiers.

[irv]

Originally Posted by DBesse27

No, PSA does not issue 10's with qualifiers.

So a 9 OC, if PSA issues 9's with qualifiers, could be a 10 if it wasn't OC?

[DBesse27]

Haha,'now you're just screwing with me.

[irv]

Originally Posted by DBesse27

Haha,'now you're just screwing with me.

[Exhibitman]

Here is my completely idiosyncratic, totally personal, experiential take on this question, which is one I've kicked around with colleagues who are far more PSA-centric than me:

I look for high grade OC cards with eye appeal because that is how I remember them from the pack. Most cards from my childhood (the 1970s) were somewhat OC out of the pack. It doesn't bother me the way it bothers collectors who were kids in later decades when the precision of card manufacturing was just a whole lot better and who've since moved into older cards.

As I shop for cards from my collecting era in a PSA holder what I find is that card classified as an 8 OC or a 9 OC is likely to be pack fresh but for centering. Just the way I remember them. If they are mildly OC and graded 8 or 9 I am just fine with them, especially at the price I can get them. Here is an example of a card that is right in my wheelhouse:



The Carew has the sort of mild centering issue that most of my cards had, and the uneven border of the piping around the team name makes it less visually offensive to me. I paid a lot less for the card than for a comparable card with more wear, so it fits me just fine. If the card is from a set that is prone to centering issues, I am even less inclined to freak out about it. The 1968 hockey issue had really poor centering. This Beliveau card is perfect for me and was a fraction of the cost of a straight 9:



The Dr. J on the right is my favorite ever example. The back of the card is OC but who cares?



A lesser grade is likely to have additional wear to it that has less appeal to me than the OC. If I am looking at a 6-6.5-7 my expectation is that the card will have some corner issues or other wear. In that case I look for the best centered cards I can find, trading off the centering for the wear. An example:



In the final analysis, the question also depends on what your priorities are as a collector. I am not going after cards from my youth to make money, I am collecting them for my own enjoyment. The goal is to have as many of those cards as I can afford that are appealing and evocative to me, not to have a few specimens that someone has determined meet some standard of perfection that I don't really ascribe to. Not to say that I don't occasionally get seduced by a really striking card in a high grade holder; I do:



I just try to shop where the money isn't going so I can indulge my habit at the cost of a bratwurst lunch rather than a steak dinner.

[hysell]

The facts are grading cards are not the same for people & grading companies!Who"s to say the person grading your card,is even in this field or just doing a job?40+ years in this field & some 22 year old knows more than me?Cards came out of the packs oc a lot ,when I was a kid in the 1970"s & to me that is should be drop,only 1 grade, it is only 1 flaw!If near centered cards are that big of a deal to anyone?Than if it is a $20.00 card, than it should be a $25.00 to $30.00 card for that!Sorry guys, but corners & creases are far more important for grading for me?Pen front or back is junk!Rob,

[Leon]

Originally Posted by hysell

The facts are grading cards are not the same for people & grading companies!Who"s to say the person grading your card,is even in this field or just doing a job?40+ years in this field & some 22 year old knows more than me?Cards came out of the packs oc a lot ,when I was a kid in the 1970"s & to me that is should be drop,only 1 grade, it is only 1 flaw!If near centered cards are that big of a deal to anyone?Than if it is a $20.00 card, than it should be a $25.00 to $30.00 card for that!Sorry guys, but corners & creases are far more important for grading for me?Pen front or back is junk!Rob,

old school!!