How to determine if your slab has been opened ?

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Posted By: Dave

I just received a card I won on Ebay that was in an SGC holder. the holder clearly shows signs of frosting all around on all 4 sides. Should I be suspiocious about whther or not this has been opened ? The card was only graded a 30, and seems to look like the grade given. After reading about the Ty Cobb card incident I am now wondering about all of these SGC holders I have that have frosting around the edges

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Posted By: Ed

I can't offer advice, but I second the concern. The Cobb thread was scary. How obvious is the opening and re-gluing? Sorry this doesn't add to the post, and I can't speak for others, but my guess is that many collectors, like myself, sometimes blindly bid on the slab rather than the card itself.

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Posted By: Mike

I always bid on the card. Never the slab. I get most cards raw, because then I know what I am getting, and then if need be, I get them slabbed myself. Then there is no issue. I am usually fairly certain as to what grade I am getting. So the slabbing is used mainly for two reasons, first is for protection, second is to give a third party some peace of mind that the card hasn't been messed with, should I ever decide to sell it. Which is almost never. Very very seldom has the grader given it a wildly different grade than what i thought I was getting. Usually they are about right on with my assumption. So in conclusion, an opened and shut slab is of no concern to me.

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Posted By: JK

Dave,

I think your confusing some things - it is PSA slabs that exhibit "frosting" around the edges when they have been opened. Almost all sgc slabs have some frosting on the edges from my experience. Perhaps a scan would be helpful.

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Posted By: Dave

Thanks for the info JK. I was under the impression both companies plastic would exhibit the same signs if it had been tampered with. The marks on this case look uniform....3 on each side, and 2 on the top and bottom in about the same place

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Posted By: JK

Dave,

I think those uniform marks are where the case has been "welded" shut.

If you take a look at SGC's website - the picture of the slab on their "the sgc holder" link shows the same frosting that I believe you are seeing.

http://www.sgccard.com/sgc_holder.htm

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Posted By: peter chao

Well...if the slab is in two pieces.

Peter

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Posted By: T206Collector

...where a little practical experience can go a long way. I've cracked a few SGC slabs in my day. Take a flat-headed screwdriver, place it into the edge at a corner and gently twist 90 degrees. Repeat at each corner and then around the edges. If done properly, it will not break the casings, just the seal. Then, try putting the the casings back together, and you will see what the frosting would look like -- it's bright silvery/white all around and looks quite different from the SGC factory seal. I am sure this process could be improved upon and that a competent scam artist could fool the best of them.

In the end, you have to use third-party grading for what it is best used for: adding another indicia of card quality, along with information about the seller, the context in which the card is sold, and, most importantly, your own personal experience reviewing cards and confirming the SGC grade.