[drc]

In my opinion, a card that has been altered is a grade of Poor. The grading companies have chosen to say an altered card can't receive a grade (other than Authentic). I don't have a problem with that.

Collectors of autographed cards often don't ask for grade for the card itself, even when the card is fine. They are concerned about the autograph not the card grade. In these cases, it is possible for a Near Mint card not to have a grade-- just an Authentic for the autograph.

But, in general and for non-autographed cards, Authentic usually indicates the card is altered, has something majorly wrong with it (ala so worn and torn only 70 percent of the card is there) or the graders are unfamiliar with card. An example of the latter is a newly discovered card where no one is sure how it was cut by the factory-- maybe like a stamp or decal or felt or something. As the submitters have some say if the card gets the Authentic grade, it can also involve the taste of the card owner. For whatever reason, a card owner may prefer an obviously beat up and marked card receive receive an Auth rather than a Poor. Of course, no card owner is going to ask his Mint card receive an Auth rather than a 9. As already said, a Mint looking card in an Auth holder means it's altered.