Restoration Case — Clarence Weatherspoon (CANBXXG7)

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1993-94 Upper Deck HoloJAM Clarence Weatherspoon #H20

Case CANBXXG7 · Lucas Shaffer

A dated record of the documented work on this card, drawn from its permanent chain of custody. Not a grade or an appraisal.

Card profile

Player: Clarence Weatherspoon
Team: Philadelphia 76ers (#30)
Set: Upper Deck HoloJAM (insert)
Year: 1993-94
Card number: H20
Ungraded value: Not established (low-value early-90s insert; no sold-comp match)

Case

Case: CANBXXG7
Client: Lucas Shaffer
Received: 2026-07-22

Identity 1993-94 Upper Deck HoloJAM #H20, Clarence Weatherspoon (Philadelphia 76ers, #30). Holographic insert. Sealed in a box ~30 years. First restoration in the program, narrated as a learning session. A Charles Barkley from the same lot was the first card handled.

Work performed

Surface cleaned with CardDoc solution; light dirt lifted easily, no concentrated problem areas
Raised / lifted edges rolled out using the dragon-breath method plus a push / compaction pass to lay them flat
Corners left largely untouched: fiber intact, and the lift was partly beyond safe repair at this stage
Suspected surface scratch assessed and dismissed as grease / holo shadow, not damage
No pressing or alteration beyond edge flattening; no condition grade assigned

TCG Partnerz grade our own 10-point working assessment

Before8.1

→

After (post-press)8.3

Front · surface

Top-left8.5→8.5

Top-right8.0→7.5

Bot-left8.0→8.5

Bot-right7.5→8.0

Back · surface

Top-left8.5→8.5

Top-right9.0→9.0

Bot-left8.0→8.0

Bot-right8.5→8.5

Edges · sides

Top7.5→8.5

Right8.0→8.5

Bottom8.0→8.0

Left7.5→8.5

A subjective in-house review scored by quadrant and side, not a third-party grade. The post-press score reflects the Session 3 reveal.

Restoration walkthrough

Tap any timestamp to jump to that moment in the video. Work = an action performed on the card; Check = an inspection or note.

Surface (front)

BeforeAn even white film across the whole face, with a few marks that needed cleaning to tell dirt from damage.

AfterFilm cleaned off (it was dirt); no scratches. Classic age-related holo-foil chipping shows across the card.

1:39 Check No major surface scratches or chips found on intake
1:58 Check White film across the card identified as dirt, not damage
5:06 Work Surface dust and dirt cleaned with CardDoc solution; lifted right away
7:54 Check A suspected scratch assessed and dismissed as grease, not damage
8:15 Check Classic holo-foil chips visible across the card (age); rubbing risks worsening them, so stopped
13:40 Check Shine reads more consistent after cleaning; a slight drag was dry card, not dirt

Edges

BeforeSeveral raised / lifted edges from being forced in and out of tight sleeves; light whitening along the edges.

AfterLifts reduced and edge lines improved; final flattening left to the press (pending 24-72h).

2:46 Check Raised edges identified; rolling-out planned
4:36 Check The popped-up edge on this card was the simplest lift to address
11:36 Work Light whitening along the edges cleaned back
20:55 Work Upper edge showed a walked-on lift (edge, flat, break, flat); worked with a ball tool and rolling
28:40 Work 'The lift has been managed' - from whitening to a corner with good lines; a slight misshape remains
31:53 Work Back edge worked across the seam; front and back both improved

Corners

BeforeWhitening in the corners with the fibers still intact (repairable, not chipped); one corner smushed and raised.

AfterFibers rolled back with the dragon-breath method and some compaction achieved; a couple of corners left for the press.

2:12 Check Dragon-breath method chosen for the corners
15:48 Check Corner whitening with fibers intact = repairable (chipped corners cannot be pulled back)
20:27 Work Rolling to push the fibers outward; visible compaction on one corner
20:46 Check One corner assessed as a little beyond repair at this stage
36:45 Work Crush-and-push technique used; edge laid down
49:44 Work One corner got too wet ('I think I broke it') - conclusion: this stock is best pressed, not over-worked

Notes

0:58 Check Edge foam-board / card stock fully intact, not chipped away - good structural condition
15:11 Check Cards sealed in a box roughly 30 years; 1993-94 Upper Deck
15:22 Check Operator's own working estimate on intake: likely a 9
16:41 Check Not a traditional card - a holo laminate printed on foam stock, which throws false negatives under light
47:16 Check The foam-laminate stock is why the press, not rubbing, does the real flattening
57:30 Check Self-assessed appearance lift from ~85% to ~92% after the clean

Sessions (3 on record)

1Intake inspection2026-07-22 · Lucas (gloved)

Media: Photos-1-001 (6).zip stills + 20260712_055051.mp4 (session, 61 min)

No defects recorded in this session (not a clean bill).

First restoration ever (2026-07-12), narrated throughout. Upper Deck holographic insert (HoloJAM style), sealed in a box ~30 years. On intake: no major surface scratches, a little surface dirt, and raised/lifted edges from being forced into a tight sleeve. Corner whitening present but fibers intact. Chose this card deliberately as the practice piece; the Charles Barkley from the same lot was the very first handled (went in upside down).

2Cleaning2026-07-22 · Lucas (gloved)

Media: 20260712_055051.mp4 (full session, transcribed locally)

No defects recorded in this session (not a clean bill).

Cleaning + edge work, learning session. Method: CardDoc cleaner on the surface dirt (came up easily), then the "dragon breath" method and a push/compaction technique to roll out the lifted edges and lay them flat. Deliberately restrained ("first one, don't want to be overzealous"). Assessed a suspected scratch as breakfast grease / holo shadow, not damage. Conclusion: edges were the real work; corners left mostly as-is since the fiber was intact and the lift was partly beyond repair at this stage. No condition grade assigned.

3Reveal · post-press2026-07-14 · Lucas

Media: reveal.mp4 (post-36h press)

No defects recorded in this session (not a clean bill).

Out of a 36-hour press. Corners came down and the edge lifts are now almost imperceptible - overall a success for a first card. A small piece of the foil adhesive tore during the earlier rolling, and the 'snow' (adhesive white specks) plus edge whitening are permanent to this foam-core foil stock. Not submitted for grading.