Dustin, I can certainly understand your frustration with this. To answer your question, we make the rules. We, being the collectors. Every form of collecting, curating, etc., has its own rules, written or unwritten. These "rules" are dictated by the collectors in most cases. Certainly that is largely the case with our hobby (obsession). Restoring a Picasso is accepted, it just is. But with sports trading cards, its not considered restoration, rather it is an alteration. Most collectors, myself included, are purists and wouldn't bat an eye or spend their money on altered cards. Of course, there are always exceptions. I hope my answer to your question doesn't come off as smug or sarcastic. In my early years as a vintage card collector I struggled with the same question. Okay, off my soap box now. Hope this helps.
