Vintage Collector Trimmed Article And Thoughts

[mferronibc]

Good article in most current Beckett Vintage Collector on trimmed cards and some red flags to look out for. I would love to continue to train my eyes to detect alterations, but the question always comes up for me...without being able to actually hold the card in hand and inspect with loupes, etc. how can you confidently tell with online pics? I’ve seen a few posts on here referencing Ebay auctions and people posting “100% altered” without giving any specifics. This is obvious a critical need in the hobby (especially to inform newer, younger collectors) so why not have a separate thread/board solely of people’s examples and critiques of trimmed cards to help educate us all? Has anyone ever thought about an actual business- maybe prospective buyers pay a small fee to an “expert” who has been doing this for a long time to weigh in an opinion on the card (within say 24 hours) before the buyer bids? Thoughts?

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

It's kinda why you cultivate relationships with reliable sources. Good dealers, honest auction houses, fellow board members. Anytime you want to farm out a job like that you run the risk of corruption. It's best to put in the work with the aforementioned resources and learn for yourself. Not trying to be a jerk, but there is no good shortcut to putting in the time and learning, and frankly, if you enjoy the hobby, why would you want a shortcut? Learning the details about what you collect is a lot of the fun!

[mferronibc]

I can totally appreciates that Scott but it does sound a little nebulous. I’m not looking for shortcuts but where does one even start? Yes I’m willing to put in the time and effort but feel like there really aren’t a lot of resources out there to help. No specific books, threads, etc devoted to help recognize fraud in the hobby - isn’t this exactly what we need right now? And no matter how trusted a specific dealer or auction house is, do they really stand by the authenticity of everything they sell or simply just fallback on the PSA grade of the card as their stamp of approval (“if it was good enough for them..”). if they get their hands on a card they inspect and deem altered do they really eat it and not resell the card? Really wish that was true but have to imagine that’s about 5% of sellers.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by mferronibc

I can totally appreciates that Scott but it does sound a little nebulous. I’m not looking for shortcuts but where does one even start? Yes I’m willing to put in the time and effort but feel like there really aren’t a lot of resources out there to help. No specific books, threads, etc devoted to help recognize fraud in the hobby - isn’t this exactly what we need right now? And no matter how trusted a specific dealer or auction house is, do they really stand by the authenticity of everything they sell or simply just fallback on the PSA grade of the card as their stamp of approval (“if it was good enough for them..”). if they get their hands on a card they inspect and deem altered do they really eat it and not resell the card? Really wish that was true but have to imagine that’s about 5% of sellers.

I know at the shows around here you get Net54 guys who meet up and share knowledge, the hunt, stories etc. Are there any members in your area that, when things get back to normal, you can meet with? Face to face interaction with cards in hand and people who have the same interests is probably the best (and fastest) way to learn. Like a lot of life you are as strong as your network. It's a win-win as, to me, this hobby is more fun when shared. Good Luck!

[steve B]

One of the things that makes it hard is that each set will be slightly different from others.

With trimming, it's mostly a matter of knowing what a factory edge looks like for that particular set. I've come to understand that sort of thing is easier for some people than others. Not a bad/good thing, but almost more of a difference in how their brains work. I'm pretty good with cards and edges, but almost hopeless with autographs even when I'm told what's good or bad about a particular one. I can get the really awfully bad fakes.

What sets are you into? I have a decent assortment of the more available ones and could send scans of the edges. Most were bought a long time ago, and while there was trimming it was usually very poorly done.
I also have examples of a thing or two that look suspect, but aren't.

[swarmee]

The main reasons that there are very few "how to detect trimmed/altered cards" threads is that if you put that information out there, the trimmers also read it and improve their techniques.
Did you read the following pages here at Net54?
https://www.net54baseball.com/forum/...ivecenter.html

[Hxcmilkshake]

Blowout cards forum has a myriad of threads around trimming, corruption etc. Good a place as any to start.

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[zsk]

Matt i agree 100%. I grew up collecting in the 90s-00s so I'm brand new to vintage. Reading some of these threads about ebay sellers or auction houses are a huge turn-off esp when you're talking hundreds or thousands of dollars. For someone new to vintage it's easy to feel overwhelmed and difficult to learn or know who to trust