altered card stock ????
 

Hi guys. So glad I stumbled across this forum. The knowledge here is amazing and I find myself reading it every day on my lunch break, and learn something new every time. My question concerns the '33 Sport Kings Ty Cobb that just came back "Altered Stock" from PSA. What exactly does "altered stock" mean? I notice what looks like an "A" that someone at some point during the past 85 years penciled on the upper right corner of the back (pic below). Then looks like someone tried to erase it. Would this be why PSA returned it without grading it? If so, why wouldn't they grade it and qualify it with "MK"? I definitely would've preferred that to simply sending it back unslabbed. Please review my pics and see if there is evidence of altered stock. Or is that something that only they can see with a certain tool? Thanks so much for your help...it is GREATLY appreciated. By the way, I was pretty happy with the two (of the three I sent) that they did grade (pics also below).

N-5 Altered Stock - This includes, but is not limited to characteristics on the card that appear to show some form of alteration such as paper restoration, crease/wrinkle pressing or enhanced gloss.

I'm guessing corners have been rebuilt. Doubt you would get this code for a simple erasure, possibly they tried to chemically clean it (bleach or some other cleaner) which could result in N5

Thank you very much. Greatly appreciated. So when buying raw cards, is there something specific I should look for? Can you identify with the naked eye where this card's stock is altered so that I don't get burned in the future?

P.S. - I'd like to learn a lesson from this "mistake". Or maybe the lesson is to buy already-graded cards???

try a black light for starters. If paper is rebuilt or the card s chemically cleaned it may fluoresce differently than the rest of the card.

Any chance the card was stored in an acrylic screwdown?

What he's getting at is that unrecessed screw-downs can flatten (and actually enlarge) a card, which may look like an attempt to press out damage, also anN5 issue

PSA makes the assumption for you, that when you submit, you'd rather have the cards back raw than with "AUTHENTIC ALTERED" on the flip. So if you want this card slabbed anyways, you have to write "SLAB IF AUTHENTIC" in the comment line of your submission. Then they will grade it AUTH ALTERED and put it in a holder.
But yes, the erased mark could be the reason for the Altered stock, plus the other things mentioned. Many a card has been ruined by screwdowns that people originally thought was good protection for them. BGS will probably grade that card with a number, and SGC may as well. If you want it slabbed by PSA, send it back in with the directions "SLAB IF AUTHENTIC" in the comments.

I'll give this a try in a few months. Thanks so much, everyone.

SGC will definitely grade it authentic.....but they might also numerically grade it too....I would submit to them and check the box, slab if authentic. That is a card that would sell good in either holder.

At SGC, it's probably about a 40.

I have a pretty nice T206 I'd had since the 80's, that got a 40. When I asked about it at the Shriners show the guy at the booth showed me the erasure, which I hadn't noticed for all that time.

I don't really get why an erasure, even a sloppy one that damages the paper a bit should warrant only an A.

I submitted some cards to SGC and forgot to check the box and I got two cards back in the card savers as altered. I called them and explained the situation and they said I could include them in my next submission and they would put them in an authentic slab at no extra cost. They did do this without a hassle.

They offered for me to send them back and they'd do it right away but I would have been on the hook for more shipping etc. I just waited a few months until the next show I attended and had no problems. They are a small group so I could easily reference who I spoke to etc. Not sure if PSA would do this but you could call them and find out.

I agree with this. Looks like the top right corner was completely replaced. If SGC would grade this or authenticat it that’s scary. If that’s the case ( pun now intended) I would never buy a SGC card.

lots of assumptions being thrown around here. I've seen many more altered or misgraded cards in PSA holders than SGC.

^^THIS^^ and it isn't even close.

Let me explain my comment. If the problem is that wrinkles may have been pressed out through a partial lifetime in a screwdown holder, that's something that PSA considers Altered Stock that I believe would/could pass the other TPGs. PSA is known for being tough on this particular alteration.

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...light=clemente

Here's a card that was given "Altered Stock" by PSA and holdered as an SGC 60, but was originally a BVG 6.5.

If the alteration is something else detectable by black light, I would figure all of the three should be able to identify that.