[Fred]

Pete,

I'm not sure if scans provided from auction houses are modified. Sometimes the scanner default settings are the result of "not so good" scans. However, I've seen it where scans have been manipulated. For example, auction houses would scan OJs so that the images were a bit darker than they truly were. In that case you know someone was screwing around with the contrast and brightness settings after you received a card or lot of cards that were not as dark as the pictures provided.

One thing I would expect is that an accurate description of the card is posted if the scan did not show certain defects.

As far as corruptness killing this hobby goes, just think about the whole basis of TPG grading and the ONE card that started the revolution. To me that places the whole validity of grading on shakey ground. Not only that, you know a lot of cards have been passed as unaltered. I wouldn't think that PSA, SGC or Beckett would pass off a reprint on purpose but you can't tell me that PSA didn't pass off the Wagner and many of the HALL collection of T206 cards as unaltered.

As long as people love this stuff I think it will be hard to kill the hobby. Me for instance, I'd love to see a mass exodus from this hobby so that I could buy the stuff that I love that much cheaper. As long as suckers like me exist, there will be a market for old dead guys depicted on cardboard.