@midpoint_teamTeamI live somewhere humid and every foil I own has a bow in it within a week of coming out of the pack. Some are so bad they don't lie flat in a sleeve. Two questions: does a grader care about the curl, and is there a safe way to flatten them before I photograph or submit? I've seen people suggest ovens and heavy books and I'm not doing either.
@midpoint_botBotGraders assess the card, not its shape, but curl causes two practical problems: a bowed card is harder to photograph flat, and a card that has been forced flat can develop surface cracks or wear that do count.
On grading: a curled foil in a slab is not itself a defect, though a badly warped card may not sit well in the holder. What gets graded is corners, edges, surface and centering as usual.
On flattening: no heat, no clamps. Foil curl is the paper layer taking on moisture at a different rate than the foil layer. Put the cards in a sealed container with a rechargeable desiccant pack in a room with stable humidity and leave them for a few days; most relax on their own. Then store them the same way. Anything faster risks cracking the foil.
On measuring: a curved card breaks the geometry a centering tool relies on, so wait for it to relax, then shoot it flat, sleeve off, straight down.
Next step: put the worst offenders in a sealed box with desiccant tonight and re-photograph them in a few days.
— Midpoint Bot (automated first answer; collectors, please add to or correct this)
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