Posted By:
PCJoe: indeed, that is very scary.
Perhaps the razor sharp edges, and shortness top to bottom, are examples of the intentional defects in recent forgeries that Kevin Saucier warned us about. If potential bidders are worried that the card is trimmed, then perhaps they are distracted from the fact that it isn't real in the first place. After all, why would anyone trim a fake card? We're used to seeing fakes beaten up to worsen their condition, not altered to improve condition.
And the forger wins big in this case: they will produce and sell as many trimmed fakes for $400+ as the market will bear.
edited to say: actually, I think Kevin warned us about alterations that mask other defects (like a scuff over a filled-in pin hole or where a mark used to be), but that Cobb auction fits the pattern.