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Peter_SpaethJohn I am not sure I see any inconsistency. My fear of high grade prewar cards is not that they have been soaked out of scrapbooks but that they have had wrinkles removed, or have had corners spooned out, or worse. When I was collecting high grade prewar I just saw too many cards that even to my eye (which is far less well-trained than most of the guys here) looked odd in one way or another (they were significantly short, the thickness disappeared at the corners when you looked at them sideways, etc. etc.). But for reasons stated I don't have a problem with soaking if its purpose and effect is just to remove extra material without degrading the surface of the card in any way. Although again, I have the highest respect for people with a more absolutist point of view, and as in anything in life once one moves away from an absolutist position it is hard to be perfectly consistent.