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Chapter 31

The Most Common Card Defects (With Examples)

Collectors run into the same defects again and again.

1. Micro-Scratches

Tiny scratches that appear under angled light.

Common on:

Pokémon holo areas

Panini Prizm chrome surfaces

Pokémon full-art textures

2. Print Dots (“Snow”)

Random white dots from factory printing.

Common on:

Vintage Pokémon

90s basketball

Topps Chrome

3. Factory Roller Lines

Straight lines caused during printing.

These hurt surface grades heavily.

4. Corner Softening

Corners slightly rounded from handling.

Often happens during sleeving.

5. Edge Chipping

White lines or tiny breaks along edges.

Chrome cards get chipped easily.

These issues can be invisible to the eye — but AI sees them clearly.