Is this a future canidate to get fixed

[BeanTown]

This card was offered to me a couple years ago. I was on the bubble of buying it but opted to go with another rare Cobb postcard. The main reason was after getting people's opinion of the card they all said the "sunburn" was hard to get past and had limited upside.

Now, I'm thinking I probably should have bought it, sent it off to be cleaned, regraded higher, and then consigned to an auction house.

The biggest question would be which auction house would I consign it to for the best results?

This rare Cobb postcard reminds me of the 1936 WW Joe DiMaggio that just sold in PWCC auction on eBay. I do not own this card and the image came from the Enet where I think it sold at Goldin or BST auctions. One of Net54 members used to own this and used this as his image on here. I've always loved this card.

[orly57]

Good idea! Send it to PSA. They need more evidence than just a before-and-after picture, so you should be good.

[mechanicalman]

I found this rare Babe Ruth card at an estate sale. I was thinking about having this restored to remove the stain around his face. Then it's off to Probstein, where I will shill it, buy it back myself, and then maybe shoot it to Hunt's for a massive payday.

[Peter_Spaeth]

A little distilled water should get that right out JC, according to some of our members. Or if it takes some bleach but a good conservator/card doctor can mask it, well what the hell as long as a TPG blesses it I'm good.

[ls7plus]

As one of Ty Cobb's extremely rare rookies, I believe it has tremendous upside and virtually no down-side in any grade! If the timing was right, I would have bought it to keep my 1907 Dietsche Fielding Pose and 1907 Wolverine News Portrait Cobb rookies company with no second thoughts. The worst condition 1914 Baltimore News Ruth went from about $150,000 to $450,000 in 2-3 years, and the last word I heard on it was that the new owner wanted $694,000. Rare and significant in the best condition you can find or afford works in virtually any collectibles field over the long run!

Just my 25 cents worth,

Larry

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

A little distilled water should get that right out JC, according to some of our members. Or if it takes some bleach but a good conservator/card doctor can mask it, well what the hell as long as a TPG blesses it I'm good.

Ok, lets say that in 20 years it looks like this



Which approach has served the hobby better? Allowing it to degrade? Or doing some conservation?

Either approach can be considered valid. One preserves the card for longer than the other. The other keeps it "original".

What if TPG found a way to accommodate conservation so that it was mentioned?

I get that any conservation work would change the grade under todays standards. And that a higher number = more money. And that doing that work and getting that money without disclosure is leaning heavily towards the dishonest side of things. And I don't think that's the way to do things either.

But I also don't think that having ongoing damage stabilized is a horrible thing.

I view most other alterations the way most of us probably do. Trimming, crease removal, rebuilding corners, all things that really shouldn't be done, or if done shouldn't be given a grade as an original card would be. (although for some stuff they're accepted as long as there's disclosure)

Steve B

[Peter_Spaeth]

I understand what you are saying, that there could be instances where conservation is a good thing, not because it improves appearance but because it preserves the card. Fine. I doubt that's why the DiMaggio was worked, but either way, my point remains that the work and any resulting change in grade should be disclosed so the buyer can make a decision based on all the facts. When a seller doesn't disclose it, the obvious intent is to deceive, in my opinion.

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by mechanicalman

I found this rare Babe Ruth card at an estate sale. I was thinking about having this restored to remove the stain around his face. Then it's off to Probstein, where I will shill it, buy it back myself, and then maybe shoot it to Hunt's for a massive payday.

I'm guessing you were making a joke here. That card is in its original state. It was put on by Topps, and should be much more valuable with the decal still intact.

[orly57]

Sam was joking. And it was hilarious.

[drcy]

If you conserve or restore and don't disclose it at sale, you've broken the law. It doesn't matter whether or not it's gotten past PSA. That's exactly what got Legendary Auctions in legal trouble.

My most recent SABR article ends with a discussion of the various issues and viewpoints surrounding restoration and alterations.

SABR article

[Zach Wheat]

Interesting article....and good job as ususal. Thanks David.

Z