one grading company says Trimmed, another says not

[Archive]

Posted By: Peter_Spaeth

If a card is in a PSA SGC or GAI holder I start with the presumption that it is not trimmed or otherwise unacceptably altered. If it is disproportionately short, or if I learn that the card has been rejected on more than one occasion for trimming or something else, I start to question it even though someone has slabbed it. Given that most cards I buy are not rarities, if it starts to bother me too much, I will just sell it (or return it if that option is available) and buy another. And while it is a somewhat difficult question, on balance I don't think a seller has an obligation on a slabbed card to reveal its grading history, unless specifically asked.

The way I see it, you have to be practical. Although there are people with a significant degree of expertise on these matters, there are still cases that are not clear cut (no pun intended), and inevitably mistakes are made as well. Indeed, does anyone know what standard of proof the grading services employ? To analogize to my favorite profession, do they have to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt a card is untrimmed before slabbing? If they have some doubt, but it is more likely than not it is OK, do they slab? Does anyone know?