Since this topic got brought back up on E4 recently, here is an update video from the same channel.
In this video you can learn how to repair your PSA graded cards so that they’ll be lower graded TAG cards. 
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I know this wasn’t the point of your post, but the fact that TAG can’t catch buffed out cards is hilarious
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The current reality is that none of the grading companies can… 
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eh, the surface of the lugia in the video is clearly polished, and them finding water dmg should’ve made them realize it was altered
Grading is such a subjective joke and it isn’t even funny. SIGH*
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do people really wear gloves when handling LP unlimited holos?
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Look the calculation has already been made - the videos don’t do as well if there is no glove snap at the beginning. Basic youtuber viewer hook stuff here! Come on!
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i consume a lot of BS pokemon content but I am proud to say 0% has come from youtube in the last 5 years
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This video was useful :
the method TAG uses for the scans shows if the surface roughness has been modified. Whereas it is invisible to the naked eye, the scan clearly shows surface alteration from the water scrubbing on the back of the card. Numerous people on this forum consider light water scrubbing and cleaning to remove dirt spots not card altering. from this scan it seems that this stance might not be viable : any use of water and scrubbing is likely to affect the original texture and surface of a pokemon cards, even if invisible to the naked eye, the scan shows it, so the card is altered from its original state.
does someone managed to get the cert number of the lugia ?
an interesting experiment would be for some forum members to use kurts polish on the holo + send a control card at the same time to TAG and see if we can pick up any difference on the scan. With computer vision/ML and a few sample it might be possible to have automatic detection of polishing from scanning.
maybe it was not clear, it isn’t the matter of TAG as a grading company. Their stereoscopic high res scanning is able to show surface level change on texture/roughness/vertical axis that is a useful tool for the purpose of creating a method to detect card alteration
my apologies I didnt mean to reply to you directly it was meant to be a thread reply. Your point is noted
it’s a bad idea to grade vintage with Tag anyways. They have proven to be the harshest with vintage. A lot of people complain that they can not longer get psa10s with pack fresh WOTC holos, which for the overwhelming majority is true, but it’s even worse with tag as these cards will usually score a 6 or 7
and that exposes another issue Tag is having
People keep saying “they cant detect” this or that. No… they can detect everything. It’s adjusting their sensitivity and allowances that is the problem. they cant seem to dial it in just right.
Their systems have to keep allowing more and more in terms of surface otherwise they penalize too harshly. They COULD account for everything and ding everything but the company would collapse as nobody would be happy with their grades.
Ultimately people seek value with their cards
This marking isn’t from scrubbing or cleaning dirt of a card. It’s caused by the card absorbing water before being flattened. The person in that video has soaked the back of his card, likely to remove an indent or a bend and then this has happened from direct water contact.
It causes wrinkly, reptile like surface to the card.
It’s a simple way to see if a card has been tampered with, and PSA would flag this altered too 100%.
The grey scan you see on TAG cards is Photometric Stereo Imaging, which im 100% sure PSA must to as well when they get cards.
In theory iIt’d be possible to recreate at home with a DIY setup if you reeeeeeally wanted to
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This is actually interesting and I didn’t think about it prior. If the texture is altered from pressing, this is a good way to detect it.
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so you would rather a loose grade with a bunch of 10s from another grading company?
i love this statement
I’m speaking in reflection of the masses. People want value from their grades and as long as PSA is the dominate player in the market everything is in reference to their scale.
If TAG became so revered to the point that lower scores (i.e. a Tag 7) became as valuable as a PSA9 then Tag wouldnt have as much to worry about
But with that said there is still one issue. Phantom dings
people own these cards and enjoy them with their eyes, not with 30x imaging and stereoscopic lenses. Even if something is there.. for instance the ding report claims there is a print line on the back but nobody can see it, even with spectacular lighting and angles. Something that their systems can pick up on but it’s irrelevant to actual humans enjoying the card
just feels like a harsh/unjust penalty
They will always be stuck tweaking and adjusting and trying to find a balance and it will present a challenge for some years to come
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This is why the narrative of AI or algorithms “solving” grading was never going to happen. Grading is a subjective process. AI allows for subjectivity but then you’re just establishing a new set of standards and then it becomes this
This was phrased like it would be something obvious that people wouldn’t want but that’s not the case. When people grade they want 10s. When people buy, they pay more for what’s on the label than what the actual condition is. A loosey goosey 10 is exactly what everyone wants. More 10s for the sellers, more 10s for the buyers. That’s also what CGC realized and why they changed their grading scale
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He damaged the card by humidity treating it.
This is time and time again the #1 danger to collectors as we have no idea how this affects cards long term.
We have some examples of ex era cards “rippling” after being humidity treated, but some time AFTER they were graded by PSA.
Here is an example of a PSA 10 Gold Star Rayquaza that is deteriorating over time https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWjgb0aj58E/?igsh=MWtwcjIwamRoZnk0cg==
This is much worse than any Kurt’s card jizz.
This is quite scary as it feels like these cards are ticking time bombs and no one knows if PSA will pay out their guarantee with it (“oh you must have stored it poorly”).
The fact that TAG still graded it, albeit to a less grade, isn’t good either.
It’s 2026 and grading companies probably have the technology to see if cards are altered in this manner but haven’t done anything about it yet - even the self proclaimed AI one.
Ugh.
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