Random mini-rant
 

I've been chasing down some post-war (1952 through 1980 Topps) cards on eBay lately. To save time, I have only scrutinized images of graded cards, While doing this, I have seen an alarming number of obviously trimmed cards which reside in PSA holders.

It got me thinking...I can't be the only one who can see this. The trimming scandal has been discussed at length on various websites. However, these cards seem to be selling at a brisk pace.

The point of my rant is this:

I'd like your opinion. What percentage of collectors do you feel either don't know or don't care that this is a widespread problem? With the recent influx of new "investors" into the hobby, I'm thinking this percentage is very high.

It has been a few years ago but there was a thread on here asking the question about altered cards in PSA slabs. I was amazed at how many said they didn't care about the card and the flip was the most important part. In my opinion the very few collectors in the hobby seem to care the most. The dealers and flippers do not care at all.

I only care if the card, even though clearly altered received a numerical grade. I'm not opposed to buying altered or trimmed cards as long as they look good and receive the appropriate designation of an "A". I do think the influx of "investors" are bad for the hobby. They're not looking at it from a collecting perspective they just want to flip and make money. Which I can't blame them for, but it drives up prices of cards that I want to collect.

Wait, am I reading this correctly? If a card is clearly altered, yet received a numerical grade, you're OK with buying it?

You mean buying it at the price of an "A" and not the numerical grade, right?

No I apologize if I worded that poorly. I meant I don't mind buying an altered card as long as it's designated as such. So if it came back from PSA with the "Authentic Altered" Grade. Because a lot of times you can get a good looking card that received this designation for cheaper

Your point is dead on, and it is seemingly rampant. Unfortunately, there's no real solution to your concern. Whenever someone brings up trimming, the result will usually be someone angrily stating how there was always variance in the sizes of Topps cards, etc., etc., so who is anyone to say a card has been trimmed??!!

All anyone can do, again unfortunately, is watch out for oneself. Make sure anything you buy fits pretty/relatively/decently snugly in that holder. Like many, many others, I have passed on countless PSA cards on ebay that were swimming in the slabs. Were they trimmed? An objective person would say there's probably a better chance they were than they weren't, but even though there is no way to actually know for sure, I am happy to pass on them and look for something else.

I've noticed the same thing.

What gets me is the carelessness with which many of them have been trimmed - combined with - the fact that PSA gave them a numerical grade. How could a "professional" grader miss some of these?

That's the million dollar question. I feel a lot of grades in general are subjective, especially once you're hitting the higher numbers. Is it a judgment call on the graders end? Do they follow a rubric of some sort when determining the grade? Why do some get a card that comes back a 7, crack the slab, resubmit and it becomes an 8? Not to even mention the whole scandal that occurred, that's been widely reported and commented on.

Read this one for fun...
https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1384892

"There is only one solution, and that is to presume that every card sealed in a plastic container has been altered, and, however innocently, pronounced authentic and original, nonetheless. In short, don't buy a slabbed card. Ever. Ever." - Keith Olbermann, December 2000

SCD: How many cards have you treated in your life?
Towle: Without exaggerating, probably 15,000-18,000 cards.

SCD: And not one person could detect anything being done to one of them?
Towle: No, because there’s nothing there. There’s nothing that they can see.

SCD: What are some of the more valuable cards that you’ve worked on?
Towle: Lots of tobacco cards. I had a Babe Ruth rookie I worked on, a lot of Old Judges. I’ve probably done about 500 Old Judges that we got those looking really nice and they all graded. I’ve done so many Mickey Mantle rookies it’s ridiculous.
-Sports Collectors Digest interview with Dick Towle, Owner of Gone with the Stain, October 2008.


Nothing new here, move along.