Cards that CAN and CANNOT be soaked?!

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Gentlemen (and the few ladies on this board),

Out of curiosity, why is soaking a card acceptable while other alterations are, according to some members of Net54, verboten?

I considered soaking a card...once. After realizing what it would likely do to a T206 with a back stamp and (let's call it) a sticker, I quickly backed off.

Upon further reflection, I am curious as to why this particular form of, "card doctoring" is OK with some who would cry, "foul" under other circumstances. In the grand scheme of things, it seems about the same as taking an eraser to a pencil mark or ironing out the crease in a silk.

Just curious...although I imagine a Net54 beat-down is coming my way for suggesting that soaking a card is unethical.

Best regards,

Eric

No idea why but it is a double standard. Personally, I don't have a problem with altered cards as long as they are sold as such.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by I Only Smoke 4 the Cards

No idea why but it is a double standard. Personally, I don't have a problem with altered cards as long as they are sold as such.

Alex,

I have no problem with people selling, when properly advertised, altered cards, and agree with you regarding them being sold as such. As a matter of fact, I purchased a trimmed T206 earlier today and was quite grateful for the seller following through on the transaction.

In some cases, the restoration makes the particular issue look remarkably better. What I take issue with is the nonchalant soaking of cards by a great many people who do not disclose this when selling the card.

I may be wrong here...however...do not remember many auctions that state, "hey, this used to have XXX on it, but I soaked the card and now it's gone."

Just my two cents...and please know that I am not attacking you, personally.

Best,

Eric

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Alex,

I have no problem with people selling, when properly advertised, altered cards, and agree with you regarding them being sold as such. As a matter of fact, I purchased a trimmed T206 earlier today and was quite grateful for the seller following through on the transaction.

In some cases, the restoration makes the particular issue look remarkably better. What I take issue with is the nonchalant soaking of cards by a great many people who do not disclose this when selling the card.

I may be wrong here...however...do not remember many auctions that state, "hey, this used to have XXX on it, but I soaked the card and now it's gone."

Just my two cents...and please know that I am not attacking you, personally.

Best,

Eric

No offense taken. I think we have had this conversation before on the board and people seem to have strong opinions on both sides.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by I Only Smoke 4 the Cards

No offense taken. I think we have had this conversation before on the board and people seem to have strong opinions on both sides.

If you are doing something to the card that you do not disclose to the buyer than you are doing something wrong...

to me soaking worse than 'schilling' that everyone is angry about...

fine to soak if you disclose it to the buyer.....if not a big deal then the buyer will pay the same no?

You can do it to your own cards but eventually they will reach the secondary market....

[1880nonsports]

have been soaked from something. The cards look better without paper glued on the back that wasn't originally there. If you ever buy a card from me please assume it was at one time soaked - something I will freely disclose if asked............
the double standard quote was quite good.

[1880nonsports]

leaves me nearly speechless.....................

[Kzoo]

Originally Posted by 1880nonsports

leaves me nearly speechless.....................

+1

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by 1880nonsports

have been soaked from something. The cards look better without paper glued on the back that wasn't originally there. If you ever buy a card from me please assume it was at one time soaked - something I will freely disclose if asked............
the double standard quote was quite good.

I am fine with that soaking to restore etc..as long as it is assumed or known to the buyer... I wouldn't assume that on a 1952 topps card for example....

[Peter_Spaeth]

The overwhelming majority of collectors do not oppose soaking. You are free to believe what you want, of course. But huge numbers of prewar cards have been soaked to remove them safely from scrapbooks, just a fact of life. And I very much doubt you can tell.

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

If you are doing something to the card that you do not disclose to the buyer than you are doing something wrong...

to me soaking worse than 'schilling' that everyone is angry about...

fine to soak if you disclose it to the buyer.....if not a big deal then the buyer will pay the same no?

You can do it to your own cards but eventually they will reach the secondary market....

I'll respond since I was quoted. Soaking happens and is usually not disclosed. Right or wrong it happens. I would wager that virtually all crisp pre-war cards were glued into a book at one time.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by I Only Smoke 4 the Cards

I'll respond since I was quoted. Soaking happens and is usually not disclosed. Right or wrong it happens. I would wager that virtually all crisp pre-war cards were glued into a book at one time.

shilling happens too......so its fine as well with that logic..

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

shilling happens too......so its fine as well with that logic..

That's exactly what I was getting at. Thanks!

[JT1962]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

shilling happens too......so its fine as well with that logic..

Shilling is actually against the law, it is consider a form of fraud. 15 years ago or so the FBI arrested a couple guys on EBay for shilling. They raised prices for 2-4 years 3-8 million dollars, if I remember correctly. To say shilling is not any worse than soaking. That is only based on your own personal logic, which is idiotic.

[insidethewrapper]

Could someone post or PM me the step by step process of soaking ? Time involved, type of water, time to dry, pressure on card, etc. I have no idea at this time how to do it, I have never tried it. Thanks

[brianp-beme]

Here is a pretty detailed account of the process posted previously on this site by David K.

Brian


I've soaked many trade cards over the last 20 years, including full and partial scrapbook pages, as well as a smaller number of T206s and other tobacco cards. How successful a soaking is depends largely on what type of glue was used, and you never really know that until the soaking is under way; however, the skill of the soaker also plays a part. Here's how I do it:

* I generally use a wide, shallow baking pan, though this partly has to do with the fact that most trade cards are bigger than tobacco cards, so putting them in a glass, as the original poster showed, won't really work. That's especially true for full scrapbook pages, which is how I got my start soaking more than 20 years ago.

* I fill it at least half an inch to an inch deep with warm-to-hot tap water. I've found that water from my kitchen faucet at its hottest setting is fine for soaking, and will not damage cards.

* I put the card or cards flat in the water with the paper/glue side up. You may see bubbling when the glue hits the hot water, but that's not necessary for a successful soak. If a card keeps floating to the surface rather than staying completely underwater, I may use a spoon to hold it down, leaning the spoon handle on the side of the pan.

* I generally let the cards soak for at least 5 or 10 minutes, unless the paper starts separating from the card all by itself. I'll try at this point, using my fingers or a Q-tip, to see if the paper is starting to come off. If it is, I'll do what I can to separate it from the card, carefully, always watching to make sure there's no paper being lost from the back of the card. If there is, I'll stop and let it soak some more.

* If the paper isn't coming off after 5 or 10 minutes, I'll let the card soak for another 15 or 20 minutes and try again as above. If the paper is coming off, great; if not, I let it soak some more. Once the water has cooled down to room temperature, I'll take the cards out, put them on a paper towel, refill the pan with warm-to-hot water as above, and put the cards back in to soak. I've sometimes had to do this multiple times and soak cards for over an hour. If that's what it takes, that's what you need to do.

* If the paper doesn't come completely off in one piece, I may need to try getting it off gradually, using my finger or (usually better) a Q-tip. This is where skill and experience comes in. You don't want to scrape it too hard, thus making the chance of paper loss much greater, but sometimes you need to rub at the paper and glue repeatedly until it starts to come off bit by bit. I always watch carefully for signs of paper loss at this point, and stop if I see any. I'll try soaking some more before trying again, but sometimes you encounter a glue that's not going to come off without some damage.

* After all the paper is off, I rub the back of the card with my finger or a Q-tip to get all the glue off. You can usually tell when it's off, because the back of the card stops being slippery or sticky (as it is when there's still glue). If you don't get the glue off before drying the card, you'll have problems.

* I press the cards between two paper towels in order to soak up as much of the water as possible.

* I then put a fresh paper towel on a book or other flat surface, put the cards on it, put another fresh paper towel on top of them, and then put a stack of books (or another flat, heavy object) on top of that.

* I let the cards dry for at least three or four days, changing the paper towels after the first day. When they're done drying, I remove the paper towels carefully, making sure none of the paper is sticking to the cards (which may mean there was some glue left on the cards).

[Leon]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

If you are doing something to the card that you do not disclose to the buyer than you are doing something wrong...

to me soaking worse than 'schilling' that everyone is angry about...

fine to soak if you disclose it to the buyer.....if not a big deal then the buyer will pay the same no?

You can do it to your own cards but eventually they will reach the secondary market....

If you are a pre-war baseball card collector, and have lots of cards, you have some that have been soaked. Saying soaking is worse than shill bidding is crazy to me.

Back to topic, T207s soak fine!!

[jburl]

Originally Posted by Leon

If you are a pre-war baseball card collector, and have lots of cards, you have some that have been soaked. Saying soaking is worse than shill bidding is crazy to me.

Back to topic, T207s soak fine!!

I didn't see T211s listed, but they soak fine, too.

[trdcrdkid]

Originally Posted by jburl

I didn't see T211s listed, but they soak fine, too.

I soaked a T217 and had no problems.

[Mikehealer]

Originally Posted by Leon

Saying soaking is worse than shill bidding is crazy to me.

I agree Leon, that is a ridiculous statement.

[PowderedH2O]

Has anyone tried a glossy photo type card? I have some R311's with major scrapbook pages attached that I would love to get off of there.