Determining possibly trimmed cards by their corners?

XanaduNow

I checked with Lee and he said it was okay I borrowed his scan. He just picked these cards up at a show and Boopotts made a comment that two of the cards may be trimmed based on the appearance of their respective corners. I wanted to inquire with Boopotts -- and anyone else that might have some input -- as to how you determine a card might be trimmed based on a scan/corners and what else to look for.

Ninety percent of what I pick up on ebay is pre-war raw (there isn't that much already graded boxing available) and I'd like to educate myself as far as what the tell-tale signs or symptoms of trimmed cards are in order to bipass spending money on a doctored version. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I didn't want to bring this up in Lee's thread so as not to hijack it.

Thanks again.

Here are the scans. Reference was made to Unitas' lower left corner and STarr's lower right corner.




Arthur

tennesseebanker

Arthur, The corners of a trimmed card will usually have what is called a "bat wing" or a little flare out of the corner.

Flare cuts, both inwards and outwards, are almost always the result of a primitive trim job with a pair of scissors. Regardless of how hard you try a mico-cut, the starting point will usually angle the scissors slightly outward causing an inward cut. It is optimal to make the cut in one motion and a single swipe. As the cut is being finished the exit point starts turning the scissors outward showing the bat-ear effect.

A bat ear or flare out does not always mean a card is trimmed but it is a good point to start looking at. Look at the edges to detect toning, and if you can rub it with your finger to see how smooth it is. A waavy edge may also cause concern.

EagleEyeKid

Yup, nicely put by tennessee. It's extremely difficult to tell just by the scans;
but once you familarize yourself with those guidelines it becomes easier.

From the scan you posted, I don't see anything wrong with the Unitas.

With the Starr, if you look at the bottom right corner under the letter
"K" for packers; you will see that part of the edge is very smooth to the corner.
Look at the rest of that edge on the bottom....