Trimming/Altering: No Win Situation for TPGs
PaulMaul
Posts: 4,891 ✭✭✭✭✭
We've all seen examples where pack fresh cards known to be legit come back from PSA as EOT. These cards are subsequently re-subbed and often come back clean.
As collectors, we'd all like to believe things are black and white. That either a card is trimmed, and will be caught, or it isn't. The reality is this is a judgment call, and no matter how much experience graders have, trimming will be missed. Or in order to try to avoid that, there will be a lot of good cards being blackballed.
Recently, there was a thread on the CGC comics forum about a high profile book that had originally been graded blue label (unrestored). The book was re-subbed, and came back as trimmed. The submitter argued until blue in the face, and CGC insisted the book was trimmed. Finally, the exasperated submitter sold the book as trimmed and lost a bunch of dough. What happened next? You guessed it, the new buyer submitted the book and it came back clean. Here are the details:
CGC Thread
My question is this. Let's acknowledge that spotting trimming on cards and comics is an imperfect science. How should TPG companies handle this? Which is the more unfair outcome, being overly lax, or overly strict?
As collectors, we'd all like to believe things are black and white. That either a card is trimmed, and will be caught, or it isn't. The reality is this is a judgment call, and no matter how much experience graders have, trimming will be missed. Or in order to try to avoid that, there will be a lot of good cards being blackballed.
Recently, there was a thread on the CGC comics forum about a high profile book that had originally been graded blue label (unrestored). The book was re-subbed, and came back as trimmed. The submitter argued until blue in the face, and CGC insisted the book was trimmed. Finally, the exasperated submitter sold the book as trimmed and lost a bunch of dough. What happened next? You guessed it, the new buyer submitted the book and it came back clean. Here are the details:
CGC Thread
My question is this. Let's acknowledge that spotting trimming on cards and comics is an imperfect science. How should TPG companies handle this? Which is the more unfair outcome, being overly lax, or overly strict?
0
Comments
so we turn back to the cult of opinion and it will always be that way. we all feel like the best option is to consult an expert, but "expert" is still only a title, not a given.
if they were perfect, we'd have no threads about bumps, crackouts, resubs, and all the obnoxious rhetoric that accompanies them.
Unfortunate for the owner. As for the TPG companies, they need to continue doing what they are doing and stay strict.
There are no other options. Let's say the company gave into the original owners appeal, this would bring negative press and open the floodgates for others expecting the same results on trimmed.
You can say that TPG companies already allow leniency with resubs "bumps" which already is a questionable process to me.
With high dollar product you'd expect grading quality vs grading quantity, I guess the volume business tactic wins.
Does GIA allow jewelers to resub diamonds for an upgrade? or are they graded correctly the first time.
CU Ancient Members badge member.
Collection: https://flickr.com/photos/185200668@N06/albums
There is no perfect system for detecting trimming. The experienced "trimmers" are very good and probably don't get caught very often.
My issue is that the cards are looked at too quickly and that's when mistakes and bad decisions most likely happen.
I have had well centered cards come back as "miscut" and when resubmitted come back holdered as 7's or8's with no qualifiers. Have never understood how this could happen.
The only options are to resubmit or sell raw. Both options will cost you money.
The thing is this... I WANT TO KNOW WHAT "EVIDENCE" THERE WAS!!!!! If I am going to get yakked the fee, I want to know what it was that made the grader think it was trimmed
I posted on a similar thread. If you are taking my money, slab the card. Even if it says "altered" and I should also be told what the problem is. Simply rejecting the card with no slab or GOOD explanation should not cost me the full price of grading. A nominal fee would be acceptable, say $5.00.