[Throttlesteer]

Lately there's been a ton of debate about TPGs competing to assume the title of toughest grader. A lot of sharp-looking "Authentic" cards have made their way into recent auctions. It dawned on me, if a card has already been altered or trimmed, the owner has carte blanche to clean, color, etc..to hide any flaws they want. Sure, altered cards will never fetch number-graded values. But, a seemingly clean-looking Authentic card will certainly outsell a more worn one.

There really isn't any penalty or qualifier for altered cards. So, buying the card vs. the holder really comes down to presentation (if online). You don't have any guarantee to the amount someone has tampered with the card.