Inspecting a card - the basics

 Alteration Overview

 Card Soaking

 Detecting bleached cards

 Detecting trimmed cards

 Card sanding

 Detecting a rebacked card

 Aging and toning

 Detecting recolored cards

Detecting rebuilt corners

 Reglossed cards

 Errors and oddities

 Other alterations

The first test is to see if a card measures-up properly. To find this out you will first need to know the textbook measurement of the particular card you are examining. Most modern era cards vary little to none from the exact manufactures specifications. You can although, have a pre-war card that is not trimmed but was originally cut short or long by the manufacturer.

Vintage cards with an emphasis on tobacco era pre-war cards may require some scrutiny. Since the cutting of cards in the early years of production was not an exact science, many of these were cut with little regard to accuracy or consistency, this is very prevalent with the tobacco series cards. These were cut with various widths and lengths. A card may be shy of the proper size but still be within the limits of authentication and grading standards. A card could also have been cut larger and be "doctored" to precise measurements. This is where knowing how to identify a trimmed card may come to use.

There are some key indicators to tell if a card is trimmed:

To truly tell if a card has been trimmed, it must be removed from any holder it is in so the edges can be clearly seen and studied...edges are the key!

Give the card a visual once-over before subjecting it to an in depth inspection. Look for obvious signs of trimming or a "hack-job." This can be wavy or uneven edges or just an overall abnormal appearance. Some may have a slant cut or corners that are flared in or out when compared to the same edge. Stand the suspected card edge up on a flat surface, inspect the card for an uneven cut. It may even rock back-and-forth from a high middle or parts may be so badly cut a light can be seen shining between the hard surface and card edge.

The top edge is a wavy cut, obviously trimmed, hack-job and is it's easy to see why.

The border-edge on a normal card will be slightly rounded and have somewhat of a smooth edge but not perfectly flat or overly smooth to the touch. Very gently rub your finger-tip across each edge. Feel for signs of an abnormally smooth edge left by the sharp instrument. If and edge has been trimmed it may have a different feel than the others. While normal edges can have a slightly rough feeling, a trimmed edge will feel somewhat slick. In time and after some practice the skill of feeling an edge for alterations will become more developed. If you feel an edge that is different from the rest, look at it under a 50+ watt halogen light and a 10x jewelers loupe.

Looking at the edges (not the corner) on this vintage card shows how the factory cut made each edge slightly rounded inward. It does not have a straight, blunt and flat cut as frequently seen on trimmed cards.

With the same light and loupe look for edge notches. These occur when a sharp edge is carefully and slowly used to trim a card. Since it is very difficult to make a clean, fast, one step cut, the card doctor, not wanting the cutting instrument to slip away or stray from making that perfect corner and edge, will usually grip the devise tight and move the blade very slow. This precise and deliberate cut will often leave behind rather obvious notches, otherwise known as "stall marks." This is an almost involuntarily movement made when a sharp instrument is stopped or stalled while trimming. Using your loupe and studying the edge under a halogen light, look for small notches that usually have a similar slant. Typically there will be several of these stall marks located down an entire edge that has been trimmed. Be aware that many cards have original factory cuts that produce minor slanting cut marks and are considered to be very normal. Stall marks made by a person who trimmed a card will be more pronounced and deeper. In cases such as this it would help to know a little history about the cards you are collecting.

A trimmed or sanded card will be flat and/or be "very" smooth in one or more spots. Since sanding disrupts the individual fibers small raised fibers or hair-like strands may protrude along the suspected edge(s). Usually this can only be seen under slight magnification and a light.

The entire edge of this card has been sanded. If you look closely you can see the small fibers raised from the sandpaper. Also the edge lacks any signs of aging or toning and is very flat.

Look at all the edges and corners of the card under a halogen light and a loupe. A normal vintage card will be slightly toned (light gray-brown), a trimmed card will magically reveal a very white appearance compared to a naturally toned edge when held under a halogen light. It will be surprisingly evident and is the best overall objective finding in recognizing a trimmed card.

This card has been trimmed on the left side with the right side untouched. It shows what a natural tone color looks like when compared to newly exposed cardboard. The right side also has the rounded edge while the left is more flat and pushed out.

Crimped edges and corners are another thing to look for. Since most cuts are made with scissors, scalpels or razor blades, a cut card will almost always show signs of tampering. Look for raised edges from the downward pressure of a straight edge used on the opposite side while the cutting devise is being used or pinch points at one or both ends.

Both of these cards have been trimmed presumably by a straight edge and a razor blade. The straight edge or guide was placed on the face of the card and held down causing a small ridge on the opposite side border. The top card was trimmed by a card doctor while the bottom card was made as an exaggerated comparison.

Look at all sides from a distance. Some trimmed cards may have a slant cut or flared corners that are slightly higher than the middle edge. This is commonly referred to as a bat-ear. When scissors are used, the hand has an involuntary tendency to start high and go low for the initial and/or end cut, if ever so slight. If trying to avoid this, the cut may actually start low at the corner and go higher towards the middle.

The top card is an exaggerated inward or downward cut. The card on the bottom was made by an unknown card doctor and submitted to a grading company where is was found to be trimmed. As you can see it has a slight upward corner flare sometimes referred to as a bat-ear.

Important fact; if the edge or corner of a card has been trimmed without other enhancements, regardless of the level of sophistication, it will always display the look of a trimmed card in one way or another. In essence, a trimmed card will look trimmed. Once again, the edges are the key in determining if a card has been trimmed.

At first glance this card seems to be clearly trimmed, almost hacked on both sides. In reality it is a factory miscut and not altered at all.