[Aquarian Sports Cards]

The one thing I always look at which can be tough to explain. Is the wear gradual. if you have a creased corner, in all likelihood there should be additional wear where the crease reaches the edge of the paper. If creases and other wear end abruptly it's often a sign that they have been trimmed off.

Of course if it's a card with little wear this isn't really helpful, but on the majority of tobacco cards looking for odd wear patterns is a key way to spot trimming even on cards that measure correctly. Another thing is if you have a card with three "soft" edges (completely square but the paper has just relaxed over time through handling) and one razor sharp edge, it's a good bet that edge has been trimmed.