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Please help me understand... the Restoration issue
CubsKiller99
Posts: 507
Over on Net54 there's been an ongoing discussion of PSA's failure to detect
alterations when grading, and the subsequent bump in grade and large $$$
increases for certain cards. I'm not going there in this forum obviously (go to
Net54 if you want to see the venom against TPG), but I am interested in the
alteration issue.
My primary collecting interest is books with cards in second place, but from
what I've seen in virtually all other collectible markets it's acceptable and tolerated
for alterations to be done on items as long as the alterations are noted. Some
of these alterations go for very large sums.
But if professional graders can't even detect an alteration (given the time they've
been given to grade a single card) is that such a big deal? Do they just need more
time to inspect higher-dollar cards?
For more obvious restoration it is a more slippery slope, but even then I can't honestly
say that I wouldn't buy a restored and GRADED card as long as it was noted as restored.
I tend to like older vintage cards raw and would probably do a crackout on it anyway.
Is the expectation for the conditon of gradable high-end vintage cards (particularly pre-WWII)
just unrealistic, given the apparent increase in the number of collectors and the low supply
of many of these cards?
And if so, would not more tolerance of restored cards steer the hobby in a more friendly direction?
The card doctors are in the drivers seat now, and with each success they are emboldened.
So why not a little more emphasis on a closer inspection of the vintage cards and if they've
been restored note that. Doesn't seem to me that just giving a card an "A" is sufficient.
I've raised a lot of questions here and just want to understand why, of all the collectibles
that are paper-oriented, sports card enthusiasts seem to have zero tolerance for restoration.
alterations when grading, and the subsequent bump in grade and large $$$
increases for certain cards. I'm not going there in this forum obviously (go to
Net54 if you want to see the venom against TPG), but I am interested in the
alteration issue.
My primary collecting interest is books with cards in second place, but from
what I've seen in virtually all other collectible markets it's acceptable and tolerated
for alterations to be done on items as long as the alterations are noted. Some
of these alterations go for very large sums.
But if professional graders can't even detect an alteration (given the time they've
been given to grade a single card) is that such a big deal? Do they just need more
time to inspect higher-dollar cards?
For more obvious restoration it is a more slippery slope, but even then I can't honestly
say that I wouldn't buy a restored and GRADED card as long as it was noted as restored.
I tend to like older vintage cards raw and would probably do a crackout on it anyway.
Is the expectation for the conditon of gradable high-end vintage cards (particularly pre-WWII)
just unrealistic, given the apparent increase in the number of collectors and the low supply
of many of these cards?
And if so, would not more tolerance of restored cards steer the hobby in a more friendly direction?
The card doctors are in the drivers seat now, and with each success they are emboldened.
So why not a little more emphasis on a closer inspection of the vintage cards and if they've
been restored note that. Doesn't seem to me that just giving a card an "A" is sufficient.
I've raised a lot of questions here and just want to understand why, of all the collectibles
that are paper-oriented, sports card enthusiasts seem to have zero tolerance for restoration.
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to convince the PSA 10 collector he didn't exist.
DaveB in St.Louis
DaveB in St.Louis
0
Comments
<< <i>I've raised a lot of questions here and just want to understand why, of all the collectibles
that are paper-oriented, sports card enthusiasts seem to have zero tolerance for restoration. >>
perhaps some of us are just "cut" from a different cloth.
there is a world of debate on how perfection within presentation creates enhanced value. as long as there are folks who demand such perfection, or correction, if you will, there will be those who excel at manufacturing such.
those of us who like to think of ourselves as *purists* will obviously contend that a card in its original form as distributed is the only real deal here.
however, there are quite likely scant few of us who could actually and undoubtedly contend that every card we own is as we insist it should be.