appreciate your opinion- how much does centering and wrap affect value?

[Changer]

Thanks for the correction, centering is the term I was looking for. I seem to have picked up off-centered books cheaper (especially for 9.6 or 9.8) and always equated a higher price for evenly centered wraps. I personally would pay less if the wrap is slightly off. I'm very presentation bias though.

[vaillant]

Centering is crucial to me… Unless a book costs considerably less, I always look for well centered books. Not only in terms of "horizontal" miswrap, but also of vertical centering.

 

It’s not just about "presentation": there are instances in which the beauty of the scene of the cover is penalized if, for example, the book is excessively cut at the bottom.

 

Price-wise, I’d say little difference as most people do not care about it – personally I could pay a bit more but rather pay less for a badly centered copy…

[Changer]

Ok these are two pieces I have (lets assume they were the same comic otherwise)

 

white spine showing

 

centered wrap

 

I would pay more for the better centered copy by maybe 5% or so.

thanks,

Eric

 

[vaillant]

To me, that NM+ with all that miswrap is not worth the price of a FN/VF, but again that is just my personal feeling. Which means I would not buy it for myself.

 

As for the premium: yes, maybe a small premium, but more likely that inversely I will not buy the miswrapped ones at all.

[Changer]

I find that slight mis-wraps seem to be 5-10% cheaper, but sounds like this range varies quite highly with the collector. I personally would be happy to take NM+ miswrap key for an FN/VF key price but could see why someone who likes to keep a certain standard look wouldn't.

[vaillant]

Yes, to me centering and (chiefly) whiter pages are the most important elements, but of course if the miswrap is moderate or less noticeable (for example: with white or light-colored covers) it’s acceptable.

[Martin Sinescu]

I'm not sure about a % premium, but I am a centering freak enthusiast and it definitely affects whether I will buy/bid or not, so, in that sense, it can have an impact on price. I routinely pass on books I want because of this issue and may go after a book aggressively if I think the centering is very accurate.

[vaillant]

I’m pretty much with Martin Sinescu, with the exception I would be aggressive only with books I particularly care about and/or are scarce, otherwise I’d just ask for the right occasion.

[Robot Man]

I'm all about a properly centered book. Seeing a white stripe down the left side (especially if it isn't even top to bottom) is distracting. Looks like a mistake. I can't understand why CGC would grade two books the same when one is centered properly and one isn't. I know "production flaw" but if we are nit picking at ultra high grades it should matter.

 

Off registration is a "freak of nature" and also a production flaw. I don't mind it if cheap as a curiosity but won't pay a lot for them. Some people really like them. Straw Man over in GA has a big collection of them.

 

An interesting flaw that a lot of people pay more for is multiple covers. I kind of like those too and have paid a slight premium if it was a cool book.

[Changer]

Ok just bought a SA key, it is white but slightly uneven wrap.

 

slight uneven wrap

 

Thoughts? Not a science but curious how people value factors to get to a price. I figure +5% for white, -5% for slight uneven wrap. Call it an average 8.5 price.

 

 

 

[vaillant]

On that Batman: not much disturbing – I guess it depends on preference and also on how much it disturbs the artwork.

[Ken Aldred]

Ok just bought a SA key, it is white but slightly uneven wrap.

 

slight uneven wrap

 

Thoughts? Not a science but curious how people value factors to get to a price. I figure +5% for white, -5% for slight uneven wrap. Call it an average 8.5 price.

 

 

 

That's nothing. I've seen much worse.

 

But, being OCD, I don't like uneven or wide miswraps.

[rodan57]

Wrap matters to me.

 

I don't like seeing any white from the back make its way around to front.

 

However I don't mind a small miswrap to the back as long it only reveals a bit more of the right side cover and not the white beyond the art's edge.

 

I don't like any cover that it tltled off-centre and I watch for covers that are too high or too low revealing the white past the edges of the art.

 

I don't pay attention to whether I am paying a premium for a better book but I just simply pass on the others.

[mosconi]

I'm all about a properly centered book. Seeing a white stripe down the left side (especially if it isn't even top to bottom) is distracting. Looks like a mistake. I can't understand why CGC would grade two books the same when one is centered properly and one isn't. I know "production flaw" but if we are nit picking at ultra high grades it should matter.

 

Off registration is a "freak of nature" and also a production flaw. I don't mind it if cheap as a curiosity but won't pay a lot for them. Some people really like them. Straw Man over in GA has a big collection of them.

 

An interesting flaw that a lot of people pay more for is multiple covers. I kind of like those too and have paid a slight premium if it was a cool book.

I'm a centering fanatic. I will pass on poorly centered books, and pay a premium for beautifully centered issues with nice eye appeal. And pay even higher if they have white pages. But that's just my preference

[newshane]

Centering is a major factor for me. I will pass on off-centered books unless they are exceptionally rare and hard to find.

[BlowUpTheMoon]

In the running for having one of the worst mis-wraps?

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

Send all your slightly miswrapped for substantial discounts to me, gents! Doesn't bother me a bit.

 

[jsilverjanet]

for some books that have notorious bad centering, a properly centered book may go for more.

 

 

[mosconi]

for some books that have notorious bad centering, a properly centered book may go for more.

 

Yes

[zosocane]

There's a reason gpa sales range and it's not just venue or timing

 

How the book presents matters

 

+1. Centering matters. Page quality matters. You want to go for the most attractive and least flawed book, within the constraints of budget of course. This is especially so with common (i.e., post-1965) books.