Posted By:
E, Danielyou're right. I can in absolutely no way be sure of how the cards we have have been cared for, or altered.
I also cannot be sure the sistine chapel was not repainted, shakespeare's works not re-written, my dream 58 corvette not a glue together job chasis and pieces from other cars, my children not hit because there are times when they are out of my sight, my remeberances of history inaccurate because everyone else has their own slant, etc..
You do the best you can.
I think, with the current card alteration debate, we are attempting the best we can do. Highly imperfect, but trying nonetheless.
I also am perfectly happy going forward from this date as year dot in the asolute knowledge of what has happened to the cards in terms of alteration. Lets call the past the past, and nothing we can do about it. The present and future, as Rahm Emanuel said on the Daily show last night, those are things we can affect. If the cards are agreed to be in a known condition today, and we can prevent or REDUCE ENORMOUSLY going forward the cards that get altered, that is a huge step in mainting a reasonably honest story of the cards and their history.
If restoration is the way to go, ala comics and paintings etc., until they are all in pristine original condition, I'd rather buy a reprint for $2.
Sincerely
Daniel