There are certain members of the hobby that will do anything to make an extra buck on a card. In the old days, dealers could use Sharpies to touch up the borders on their black-bordered cards. Today, trimming is one of the worst problems with the hobby. There are certain cards that no educated consumer should ever buy raw (Pujols SPx, ARod SP, etc). Some sneakier dealers have taken to rubbing off signatures or serial numbers and redoing them to their liking (There are rumors that many Pujols SPx autographs have been subject to this). Serial numbers are another issue. Luckily most are machine stamped, but hand numbered cards present a problem. Unfortunately, Pujols's 2001 BC autograph has hand serial numbering. On the old Beckett boards, Colorado Rockies Fan (first name: John) had an extensive listing of all Pujols BC copies he had seen on eBay. He listed the certification number, grade, and serial number. It was very complete. No one knows where he is today and I unfortunately deleted the file at some point over the years. Someone on the PSA boards saved the portion dealing with the 5/500 copies:
5/500 Topps sticker #3040260 PSA 9 PSA serial #40002731
5/500 Topps sticker #3040227 BGS 8
005/500 Topps sticker #3040244 BGS 9.5
005/500 Topps sticker #3040359 PSA 9 O/C serial #30119083
As you can see there are multiple copies. There is no way to tell which is real. This
one is currently listed on eBay.
Sure would like to talk to you by phone or email and share with you my story about this card...Very Nice Collection
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