Card doctoring...

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Some people, myself included, don't feel that removing creases is considered doctoring a card. If you read Julie's response in the article that Leon posted from the Old Judge, Spring1986, she says, "If ironing out creases is successful, fine." I was collecting in 1986, that was nearly 32 years ago. I felt that way then, I still feel that way today. Lipset himslef even goes on to say, "It is our assumption that Julie's feelings would mirror the great majority of the card collecting hobby." I think he was right.

Flash forward 31 years later, Andy Brooke wrote a nice article in the June 2017 issue of Beckett's Vintage Collector titled "Altered States." It's about card doctoring - everything from trimming, soaking, re-coloring, power erasing, pressing, rebuilding, etc and leaves it to the reader to determine what is acceptable and what is not. He does say, "My personal belief is if nothing is added or taken away from the physical card and there is nothing left behind, then it it more likely acceptable."

As collectors, we each have to determine what is acceptable and what is not.

I don't know how to do a poll, but I will make you a gentleman's bet that if someone starts one with the question, is it acceptable to take creases out of cards, a strong majority will say no.