Quote:
Originally Posted by CobbSpikedMe
Hi Steve,
You make good points, but I don't think collectors are going to accept a new definition of what an altered card is. We still debate what a rookie card is. And what a card is worth. How many times have you laughed when a dealer pulls out a Beckett at a show when you ask what a card costs?
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What we do and what the majority of collectors do aren't necessarily the same.
I'd laugh at the Beckett thing now, but in the early 90's? Pretty much every dealer did that, even some of the better ones. Most of the guys I would go to either mostly did stuff that wasn't in Beckett, or used it as a very rough guide.
there were a lot of discussions then about what something was in Beckett for and whether the arrows were up or not.
And for most people, if you just go with the standard definition of the rookie card they go along. Nevermind if the player has 15 cards issued earlier, whatever the book or website says the rookie card is - that's the one. (Or 100 in the case of modern... )
If the claim that alterations are acceptable is consistent over several years, eventually what will happen is most of the people who object stop fighting as hard, or as vocally. (keeping up the current level for say 5-10 years would be difficult, some will most won't) And the handful of people who buy it becomes greater until the objectors are in the minority.
I was generally against grading, but as I get older, I graded a few cards. I figure someday my family will sell them, and the ease of sale and extra value added would make that easier. It was also nice to see some of my nicer old cards get decent grades, sort of recognition that the card was actually that nice and not altered.
Seeing some of the stuff all the companies have done the last few years, fixing problems they caused without changing the grade, refusing to admit having been wrong, and now this stuff where they are either grossly incompetent, or actively passing altered cards for a particular customer.. I'm against it again. I might go back to grading a handful every couple years if they get things together again, but that may be a long way in the future.