This celebi looks nuts
3 Likes
Japanese prints are universally recognized for their top-tier quality and QC. I’ve been in this game for a long time, and whether it’s old-school vintage or the latest sets, I’ve never seen a pull straight from a pack ever come out with such wonky or inconsistent cuts.
2 Likes
To be honest, I’m not as familiar with WOTC prints. If there are high-res photos, maybe I can take a closer look. But since a lot of vintage WOTC packs are known to have these weird corner cuts right out of the pack, I’d hesitate to make a call on whether this was actually aftermarket altered or just bad factory QC.
1 Like
Can you show me the difference between a bad factory cut and a trimmed card?
4 Likes
I have never seen a bad factory cut straight out of a Japanese card pack before. If anyone here has one, please share it for everyone’s reference."
What I am emphasizing here is that this is on the four corners, not the typical jagged marks that I usually see on the edges.
But that’s where I’m confused. Why is the first thought that it’s been trimmed? Why could it not be possible that bad factory cuts exist within the JP card space? Is it just because you have never seen one?
1 Like
I’m not well versed in the subject so don’t mind me if I’m off in my reasoning, but just from a quick glance, the angles seem off. Those cutting machines are precise, and if the card was just misaligned during the initial cutting process it wouldn’t attempt to form the same type of angle as the original machine would produce. Instead it would cut a straight line or the actual angle would be correct but misalighned on the card itself. You can see how they are trying to replicate the initial curve. It’s less symmetical in the round off which the factory blades shouldn’t be able to produce since it’s being cut by one standard, no matter what angle the card is cut at. Again though, this is just my own speculation.
3 Likes
Thank you for the insights, I completely agree with your reasoning. If a Japanese factory cutting machine makes an error, it usually results in the very common off-centering issues we see, or the serrated/crimped edges found on more recent sets. While I can’t say I’m 100% correct, before bringing up these concerns, I consulted many experienced Japanese card collectors. None of them have ever seen such rough cuts on the corners. It looks highly artificial, almost like it was done by hand.
1 Like
3 Likes
you may be on to something
1 Like
The top left corner is factory. Its a somewhat common cut on old wotc cards.
11 Likes
Exactly
1 Like
okay i have cards that are naturally like this
not saying some of these arnt trimmed but this isnt very compelling evidence. I have a ton of cards with corners that look similar to many posted here and i pulled most of the cards myself so…
In fact I have a lot of pack fresh team rocket commons with similar cuts
3 Likes
For those posting english WOTC cards, I hope it’s clear that those aren’t counterexamples as OP is talking specifically about Japanese cards which had different QC standards.
For those asking for better evidence than OP’s experience with Japanese cards, can you be specific about what kind of evidence you’re asking for? I think the best way to get to know what is “normal” for a card is to have seen thousands of copies over the years. It’s not ideal, as we can’t verify OP’s experience independently, but it’s helpful nonetheless. There isn’t something like an official “blueprint” of card shape that applies to all cards to compare against. If others who have a lot of experience with early Japanese cards are here, they can add to the conversation; corroboration from others with lots of experience in this would strengthen the case.
2 Likes
I still would like to see the difference between a bad factory cut on a JP card and a trimmed JP card