Altered Flags
This page documents how professional grading companies and experienced collectors detect altered, trimmed, or otherwise modified trading cards. Understanding these detection methods helps you avoid accidentally crossing the line during restoration and recognize altered cards when buying.
Also on this page
- Altered Flags
- Overview
- PSA Detection Methods
- The Cognex Scanner System
- Lighting Techniques for Detection
- Visual Signs of Alteration
- Edge and Corner Analysis
- Surface Analysis
- Grading Company Responses
- Protecting Yourself
- Video Resources
- The Ethics of Detection Knowledge
MEMBER LIBRARY
Read the rest of Altered Flags
This page is part of the Card Conservation Wiki member library — the working reference behind The Cardboard Alchemists. Technique pages with tested settings, the Card Sensitivity Database, logged incidents with the exact parameters that caused them, and community experiments you will not find written down anywhere else.
Join on Patreon
Already a member? Log in
Free to read without an account: Start Here · Free Resources · Hydration and Drying · Safety Guidelines · Essential Tools · Las Vegas Card Shows