How Much More Will You Pay For Great Centering?

notfast · #1 08-03-2020, 10:03 AM

I will pay 50% for something centered �perfectly� if its a card I�ve been looking for.

packs · #2 08-03-2020, 10:16 AM

I didn't pay extra but I waited extra long to find and buy a centered copy:

MikeGarcia · #3 08-03-2020, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notfast

I will pay 50% for something centered �perfectly� if its a card I�ve been looking for.

..

..Some of us have been known to sell our blood and then pawn the full-size spare tire from the Park Avenue ULtra to get some centered cardboard...

..

Touch'EmAll · #4 08-03-2020, 07:05 PM

At what point going down the centering % scale will you simply not even pay at all? These days, if not 55/45 (absolute worst 60/40) or better I probably don't even consider the purchase. There are exceptions for a notoriously poorly centered issue, but those are few and far between. For instance, the 1941 Ted Williams & the 1952 Bowman Willie Mays are extremely tough to find superb centering.

jb67 · #5 08-03-2020, 09:39 PM

I here you on the 52 Bowman Mays. I found my copy about 6 years ago and did not hesitate to pull the trigger. It was priced about 20% higher than other 3's at the time.

MattyC · #6 08-04-2020, 12:48 AM

If I shop for a card and determine that the overwhelming majority are centered poorly, and that centering is a relatively rare attribute, I will pay up big when I find one centered.

skelly423 · #7 08-04-2020, 07:24 AM

This may come across as a cop-out, but my answer is it depends. Centering is a big part of my evaluation of a card, but I also look for bright colors (no fading or staining) and good registration. I won't buy a card if it doesn't have all 3 elements.

I'm quite happy to pay a premium if I can check all 3 boxes, but the amount of the premium depends on the scarcity of the card, the number of issues with the particular card/set. For example 1933 Goudey doesn't have a lot of centering issues, so I don't pay much of a premium for well centered cards. By contrast 1952 Topps can be difficult to find well centered examples of certain cards, so I'm comfortable with a bigger premium for centering.

Orioles1954 · #8 08-04-2020, 09:28 AM

When I collected, centering was my least concern. Any flaw caused by the factory whether it be centering, wax stains, jagged edges are not something I care about. Creasing, soft corners caused by collectors is a much bigger problem from my perspective.

View Poll Results: How much more will you pay for great centering, same grade and look otherwise?
No More	48	16.27%
10%-20%	124	42.03%
30% - 40%	74	25.08%
50% - 60%	29	9.83%
70%-80%	6	2.03%
90%-100%	2	0.68%
More than 100%	12	4.07%
Voters: 295. You may not vote on this poll

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