I just received my package from the auction today. I purchased 3 cards that fell into the $250-$350 range (each). One of the cards was represented by Candiman as "Authentic"; the others were not (one was described as EX-MT+; the other as NM).
The Authentic card has definitely been trimmed and probably soaked. I knew that prior to bidding and factored that into my bid and therefore do not feel at all misled by the auctioneer.
Knowing the track record of Battlefield, my biggest concern with the two other cards was that the cards I would receive would not match what was pictured in the auction. So the first thing I did was hold the actual card up next to the picture for comparison. Other than brightening the image, I could not see any signs of alterations that had been made. For example, there is a small stain in the border on the front of one card which appears clearly in the photo as well. Similarly, there are small stains on the back of the same card which appear in the photo.
I am a raw card collector so I do not plan to submit any of these cards for grading. I do think I am pretty good at assigning grades, and I do not feel that the cards were overgraded - at least no more than a half grade. I do not think these cards have been altered - they measure out OK and I can detect no other signs but I am not an expert at detecting everything.
One other comment on this auction worth noting - there was absolutely no evidence of any shill bidding. Probably because so many buyers shied away from this one, but it was refreshing for me to feel like the bids were on the level.
My conclusion is that my experience with this auction was positive, and I would certainly bid in future auctions should they have items of interest to me.
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