Question about PSA "Authentic" grading
 

I posted this question over on the blowout forums and got zero responses in a 24 hour period. I guess there are just too many prospectors and not enough vintage collectors. So here is my question:

I am putting together the 1948 Bowman set. It's my first true vintage set and I am two cards away. My question is about cards that have been graded as "authentic" by PSA. I have about four cards with this grade. I was concerned that they may have been trimmed and that is why PSA would not put a number grade on them. While surfing ebay for the Berra card though, I came across the following listing:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1948-BOWMAN-...item3ce6b2ead4

I noticed that this card is graded "authentic" but it also is noted on the header that it is trimmed. Does PSA do this with all cards that have been graded authentic but trimmed? If that is the case, it would make me feel a lot better about my "authentic" graded cards. I have checked the serial numbers on the slabs and nothing is mentioned about them being trimmed. Just not sure why someone would do that as opposed to simply getting a grade put on there.

I have a handful of PSA Authentic cards. I believe that they put descriptors on the "deceptively" altered cards--trimmed, recolored, restored--and just "authentic" on the other altered cards. I have a few hand cut cards, cards with paper loss from scrapbooks, etc. that do not have any descriptor. That's just my guess on their method, and I very well may be wrong.

Although you did not ask about SGC, I can say for certain that I have at least one deceptively trimmed card that resides in an authentic holder without any denotation that it is trimmed.

message the seller

The vast majority
 

of cards in authentic holders are due to the card being altered in one way or another. Most of the time the holder does not denote the alteration, however it is identified in some cases. Not sure why it is noted sometimes and not others.

It's quite possible...
 

That the person who sent it in knew it to be trimmed and actually listed that as the variation on the grading order sheet. Since it was true, they may have added it by the request of the original owner. Most of them do not have this disclaimer.

Another reason...
 

PSA normally will send back a card that measures too short, rather than slabbing it. You probably have to put "Min Grade Accepted" as Authentic to get it slabbed, and they may have wanted it for a registry set at the time.