Alteration vs. Conservation Defined

[benjulmag]

Originally Posted by steve B

For the first two, the answer is that that technology already exists, and has for a long time.
A 40X magnifier and some knowledge will usually cover them easily. The 40X magnifer is <$10. My first one cost 7 at a antique shop that sells supplies, my next few were about 2 each in a lot on ebay. (5 for 10?) 10 for 20? I don't remember. )
The knowledge is a bit harder to come by, but it's out there.

I'm not sure about a spooned out crease. To my knowledge I don't own any cards with that. It should be detectable.

I believe that in theory it should be possible to trim a card so that almost can't be detected. Almost. It would take some fairly involved equipment, but nothing that isn't readily available.

Some modern cards will be really hard. Some of the Topps Gypsy Queen base cards are a combination of die cut and knife cut. Different edges have different qualities right out of the pack.

I'm not challenging the accuracy of what you are saying, but simply expressing my amazement about the implications of what this means. So PSA slabs vintage cards with high grades, knowing that collectors will rely on those grades to justify in some instances spending mega mega bucks to buy the cards at auction. And then should (when?) the day come that it is revealed that these cards are altered and worth a fraction of what they sold for, and PSA receives claims to make good on their warranty, they just fork over the money? As I said before, based on how the warranty currently reads, assuming the scientific finality of such forensic conclusions, that is one interesting business model.