How Much More Will You Pay For Great Centering?

[skelly423]

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]

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.

[rhettyeakley]

Originally Posted by Orioles1954

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.

I agree with James. I obviously would prefer a centered card but it isn’t as big of a concern as overall wear or creasing. Actually being out of focus or off-register is more annoying to me.