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Bottom of the NinthSome random and unorganized thoughts...
I'm not sure one can unequivocally rule out alterations, or the lack there of, with a card in a sealed plastic holder. Cards are examined by graders, either thoroughly or not, outside of protectos and certainly not in sealed holders which limit visibility at the very least. Kevin seems very knowledgeable on the subject of card alterations so he may very well be able to do a better job than the grading services are doing. As a side note, what motivates one to dabble in learning about altering cards as opposed to taking up tennis or Kung Fu?
And to reply to Dan's post about showing cards valued at 5K or more that are altered...Cards are not considered altered by majority of the collectors or dealers once graded and sealed. But it is very common for dealers to break out cards to resubmit hoping for a bump in grade and in an instant, after relying on the flip at the top of the holder which assigns a grade, they end up with a card that will never grade again. This phenomena is very common.
Greg