Anyone got a pic of a tampered slab?

Brian48

I've done a search of forums and while there are posts regarding this topic, no one had a scan for viewing. I'm concerned about a 1984 Fleer Clemens XRC I got a while back. I just recently noticed that there was an area on the edge where it looked like someone "may" have tried to wedge a scewdriver or knife. The rest of the edges look fine and examining the card under a magnifying glass through the slab at various angles, the card itself seems to meet PSA grading standards for the assigned grade of 9. If I were to make a suspicious guess, I'd say this was an aborted attempt to open the slab. Still, I have not seen an example of what this "frosted" effect is suppose to look like with a slab that has been cracked open and glued back together.

Front of card

Back of card

Another person I showed it to said that it's possible this is just a sloppy side effect of the slabbing process. It was a long time ago, but the seller did have excellent feedback. Considering how long it took for me to notice, he might not have been aware of it either. I would send it to PSA, but I'm concerned about going through the trouble when there may really be nothing wrong.

FYI, that weird, white on blue streak on the lower back of the card does not appear to be on the card itself. At least I can't see it using a magnifying a glass anyway.

EagleEyeKid

Brian, your card looks fine. Seeing where you circled only implies that the card may have been dropped (ie on the end of a table) or it could be nothing unless you see some scrappings or indentation on the outside of that area that would imply a potential screwdriver or knife had visited that area. I have a few like that most being very small in the middle edge. These are the ones I just got back. If the foggy/cloudy area was on one of the corners; then I'd be more concerned. Again, sometimes those clouded corners may have been from a dropped slabbed which caused the stress. It would be very hard to switch a card unless you had the whole bottom edge fogged up and work its way up at least 3/4 of an inch on both edges from the bottom to slide that card out.

Brian48

No, there's no scraping near the edge, which is why my friend suspects it's just a result of the slabbing process. I was primarily concerned because this is somewhat of a high ticket item and that I've never really seen an example of a tampered case to compare it too. Anyway, thanks for the info. I feel abit better now.

ctsoxfan

I think you are fine, also. I have a few slabs like that, usually from a glitch during the slabbing process, or as mentioned, if the slab was dropped on a hard surface. If it bothers you that much, spend the $5 and have it reholdered - I have done that on a few of my nicer cards to give me piece of mind.

Stone193

I agree about the dropping thing...also, if the holder is suspect, check the card...are the dimensions OK?...under 10X, what do the corners look like etc.

Here is a sample card PSA gave out around 91 or 92...a 2 cent card where the holder looks tampered with...also, when ya scan a card, black construction paper in the background makes it easier to see the holder IMO...and just a suggestion.



"Wigwam" can make everyone nervous!

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Mike