Posted By:
Gilbert MainesCompared to some hobbies baseball card collecting is in its infancy, while compared to others it is quite sophisticated. I would much rather have our hobby emulate that of philately or numismatics than, for example, comic book collecting.
In the former, there are the purists who prefer their collecting examples in unmodified condition, and those who value their perception of beauty (which is approximating newness at any cost) over originality. I believe that in both of these fields the purists outnumber those with alternate preferences. But there is a market for both preferences.
Which of the following cards do you prefer: a vg/ex card showing wear common to handling, or the same card in vg/ex which is almost new, but accidentally damaged?
Or the damaged card from above fully restored?