What are the reasons for an "Authentic" card?
 

This seems like an easy question to answer, and it probably is. But I've seen quite a few "Authentic" slabbed cards that look pretty sharp and sell for a high dollar amount. Is it possible for people to send their cards in to a TPG and ask just to slab it for authentication and not designate a number to it? If so, why would they do this? Also, wouldn't this just hurt the sale of the item b/c one would think there was something wrong with it b/c there is nothing explaining the "A" on the slab?

Just seems like these are going for too much if they are altered in one way or another.

The list for the "A" designation (off the top of my head):
1. Trimmed
2. Recolored
3. Skinned or Rebacked
4. Too much card missing for a "1" grade.
5. Certain "off" sets like Jello, Post, Bazooka, etc.,

Here are a few examples of what I'm talking about:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/260919618221

http://www.ebay.com/itm/260919614600

You can add "has a piece of tape on it" as another reason.

... and yes, you can simply ask for it to be Authentic as well.

Thanks for the reply. Wouldn't just Authenticating it possibly lower the selling price because there is no way of telling if something is wrong with the card. The only way is to ask the seller and we all know how honest some people actually are :rolleyes:

Erasing a pencil or pen mark

I assume a card is usually graded Authentic because either it's altered (trimmed, whatever) or because the owner realizes it will be graded poor and prefers Authentic to Poor. The owner may think it looks better than the low grade it would get, so prefers the Authentic

Authentic can be assigned by the graders (almost always when the card has been altered), but the owner can also ask for that Grade.

With entombed cards that are autographed, it's a bit of a different deal. You can get a grade for the signature itself and for the card. Many autograph collectors are focused on the signature and don't feel a need for the card to be graded. They aren't into the PSA 8.5, PSA 7.32 thing. Many entombed autographed cards have no grade for either the signature or the card, just the authentic. Some cards have a grade for the signature but not the card. Either way, an Authentic grade for an autographed card doesn't mean the card has been altered. It often just means the collector wasn't interested in paying extra to get a numeric grade. All he cared about that the autograph was listed as authentic.

I'm pretty sure that unaltered but undersized cards and ones with unusual cuts would get an "A" as well. I have two that came back from SGC with minsz and miscut top and bottom edges. I can't be sure because I chose the "don't slab as A" option.

Steve B