First PSA submission-54 Aaron, 57 Clemente qualifiers-now with pics

[Edwolf1963]

Everyone has their own preferences here, personally I hate qualifiers. Points out/polarizes flaws which are often subjective. I’ve seen cards with centering issues and no qualifiers worse than some marked as “OC“. Last submission to PSA at a trade show, their rep said not a problem to note “no qualifiers” on the submission and they still sent a couple cards back with them .. I cracked them out and resubmitted to SGC. Again, that’s a personal preference thing and debatable whether or not you’ll see any monetary gain because of it.

Edit to add: Regarding your question about 4MC equaling 2 or 1.5, yes – that’s the general thought (about a two grade bump-down) .. but again, buyer subjective based on his/her own needs/taste

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by Edwolf1963

I’ve seen cards with centering issues and no qualifiers worse than some marked as “OC“.

People never seem to understand that centering is on a sliding scale. A PSA 8 has a stricter centering requirement than a 4 or a 5. That's the reason for the phenomenon you are describing. A card could be centered 75/25 s-s on the front and get a PSA 8 (OC), but if it were only a 5 it would not get the qualifier.

I would agree it can certainly seem random. I understand the reason for qualifiers; if a card is otherwise a 7 and the only thing wrong with it is centering, it can be misleading to call it a 4 or 5 when other things can be inherently wrong with cards in those grades. So 8 or 7 (OC) is more informative. I would agree with you that I don't like qualifiers on the whole though, which is why I prefer SGC. Just give me a number that accounts for everything that might be wrong with the card. Especially since SGC has tightened up on centering this year, that can lead to more confusion. I have several '72 Topps cards that were given 5's or 5.5's just due to centering, otherwise glossy surfaces and crispy sharp corners. And it's questionable. I think some of them may have been PSA 7's.

[Edwolf1963]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

People never seem to understand that centering is on a sliding scale. A PSA 8 has a stricter centering requirement than a 4 or a 5. That's the reason for the phenomenon you are describing. A card could be centered 75/25 s-s on the front and get a PSA 8 (OC), but if it were only a 5 it would not get the qualifier.

The instances I was referring to were same/similar grade. IE: PSA 6 looking more off center than same marked 6 OC.

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by Edwolf1963

The instances I was referring to were same/similar grade. IE: PSA 6 looking more off center than same marked 6 OC.

That's just PSA being PSA. Probably due to different grading eras or their insistence to determine centering by eye instead of calculating it.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by swarmee

That's just PSA being PSA. Probably due to different grading eras or their insistence to determine centering by eye instead of calculating it.

This is true. It's clear they eyeball more than they actually measure, which leads to all kinds of inconsistencies. SGC at least recently has been even worse. 70/30 is not 90/10, but some graders would not appear to know how to tell the difference.

[bobbyw8469]

I love to see a scan of the Aaron rookie....lately, people have been buying the cards and not the flips.....if the card looks great even with the qualifier, it will be fine.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

I love to see a scan of the Aaron rookie....lately, people have been buying the cards and not the flips.....if the card looks great even with the qualifier, it will be fine.

Pay attention to this comment above. The more you explore the monthly pickups on Net54, the more you will notice serious collectors buy the card and not the grade. There is even a thread titled Mid-grade Collectors. This is especially true for anything before 1980. Many collectors on this site will happily buy a 3/4/5/6 with great centering and sharp corners. There are even instances of bidding wars for mid-grade cards at auction houses. Net54 members remark about it on the AH threads that card XYZ in mid-grade went beyond estimated price because of its centering / sharp corners. So, if you really do have cards that you thought should have graded higher than what PSA allotted, don't be bummed about it, and don't waste more money.

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[scooter729]

I would definitely stick with a 4MC. The OC is supposed to be equivalent to a 2 grade downgrade, so for example, an 8 OC is supposed to be viewed (and has a registry weighting) the same as a straight 6. The MC is equivalent to a 3 grade downgrade, so an 8 MC weighs the same as a 5, or in this case, a 4 MC would be viewed (in PSA's eyes) the same as a 1.

I would much rather have an Aaron rookie that is a 4 MC than a 1, which is what they would likely give you if you asked for it without qualifiers. Maybe they give you a 1.5, but I'd still rather see the 4 MC.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by todeen

Pay attention to this comment above. The more you explore the monthly pickups on Net54, the more you will notice serious collectors buy the card and not the grade.

Many serious collectors here and elsewhere learned grading and the nuances of grading a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away before third party grading had yet been conceived. Those that did this and understand the components of subjectivity in grading have known for quite some time that eye appeal does not always (and sometimes not even frequently) equal technical grade.

We've reached a point in the modern hobby where centering minutiae is sometimes more important on vintage cards than noticeable print spots or focus issues. This can sometimes be unreasonable. Likewise a hairline crease that is difficult to notice can result in an otherwise Excellent to Mint card receiving a grade like a PSA 4, while a PSA 6 card in a slab that's duller and perhaps has worse centering is being offered for sale somewhere at nearly 2x the price.

"Buy the card not the grade" has been a thing for some time, but it's reaffirming to me how true it remains. The confident collector will buy pieces for his collection that meet HIS standards of what is appealing and collectible. Nothing wrong with that at all, and it's nice to see even some of those cards that would have been considered outliers in years past selling for premiums now at auction because real collector opinion is driving the market and not simply a number on a slab.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by Edwolf1963

The instances I was referring to were same/similar grade. IE: PSA 6 looking more off center than same marked 6 OC.

6 (OC) is a rather rare grade. It would have to be OC more than 80/20, which gets into the area where cards can almost look like they are miscut.