This is one of those grey areas that you'll find two definite camps on. Many feel erasing pencil marks is no big deal, as most have already posted. But there are others that feel that once a card is written on that it is now devalued, and that going back to then erase that mark is an even worse offense in that you have not only caused an abrasion to the surface of the card, but now you have purposely and intentionally tried to hide what you have done by using a special eraser and rubbing as lightly as possible so no one can easily detect the erasure. If erasing a pencil mark is no big deal, why are people okay with it so careful in trying to remove them then? Regardless of how lightly someone rubs, they are causing an abrasion to, and altering the surface of, a card.
And then those others may also ask if this isn't the same thing that pisses a lot of people off about card doctors, and how they work to get cards past TPGs and graded and slabbed. A large part of the hobby community appears to feel that if a card is worked on by a card doctor, and then gets through a TPG review without that work being detected, it is good to go after that, despite what others may think or say. That is why a lot of people shake their heads in disbelief when they listen to those who complain about card doctors, but then say they have no problem erasing something from a card. It can come across as highly hypocritical to many people.
Some people posted about erasing pencil marks as okay since it is merely returning a card to its original, natural state. So how is that much different than someone removing creases from a card? You aren't adding or taking anything away from the card in it's natural state. You're merely slightly putting the surface of the card back to where it originally was, which is exactly what you're doing by erasing a pencil mark. Yet the one practice is much more heavily despised as card doctoring than the other, despite the result pretty much being the same, returning the card to its original state.
And there are some that will say they may erase a pencil mark on a card solely for their own personal satisfaction and tastes, and don't do so to try and fool potential customers, and/or never plan on selling their cards anyway. But we all know things rarely go completely as planned, and for whatever reason, someone may suddenly find themselves having to sell cards they've erased pencil marks on. So, do they disclose to the potential buyers that there are erasures on the card? Or what if they decide to get the card graded first, so they can make as much on it as possible Are they going to be sure to tell the TPG they erased something from on the card so the grade properly reflects that, or are they going to say nothing and hope they rubbed lightly enough that the TPG doesn't detect any erasure marks, and not downgrade the card accordingly? And even if the person doesn't end up selling their erased cards, aren't any of us living forever. So when that person's family maybe goes to sell off the deceased's cards, did the secret of the erased pencil mark(s) die with them? And in either case, is this fair to the collector(s) who end up purchasing the erased card(s)? What if unlike the former owner, who had no problem with erasing marks/writing on their cards, the new owner(s) absolutely detests that practice and would want nothing to do with the erased card(s) purchased had that been disclosed and made known to them?
If you are someone who approves of erasing pencil marks, would your opinion be something like it is no big deal that the new owner of the card(s) doesn't realize they had things erased on them, because no one can tell what was done, so it is okay. And if so, how can you possibly have any complaints about doctored and altered cards that get past TPGs undetected, and into numbered slabs? See the potential conflict/conundrum? I'll bet there are a lot of people that have no problem in erasing pencil marks on cards that then turn around and bitch and moan about card doctors getting their undetectable altered cards into numerically graded TPG holders. It is truly amazing how hypocritical some people can turn out to be.
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