For the auction house to initially try passing this off as unaltered is an example of everything wrong with our hobby. Additionally, they are still contending that the, "poster is in NRMT condition." It is utterly shameful to call this anything other than Authentic...and even that is a major stretch.
If informed that the piece had undergone a major restoration, which definitely seems to be the case here, they clearly had a duty to disclose same. Had the information provided to them gone unnoticed and they were also too inexperienced to spot this independently, they have no business handling the piece in question.
On the flip side...in my humble opinion, the restoration job is tremendous. Had it been fully disclosed from the beginning, the impressive work done to the poster would have likely driven bids higher. Now that this piece has an aura of deceit hanging over it, I can't help but to think the hammer price (for this auction, anyway) will suffer.
Wonka (along with many others in the Net54 community) has done an exemplary job at shining the light of truth onto a shadowy corner of our hobby, which continues to be fraught with peril. I am grateful to him...and all of you...for sharing your knowledge and experience.
Best regards,
Eric
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