Posted By:
Al C.risafulliNo sir.
This problem is related to ALL cards, all sports, all years.
If a key card is found floating around without a plastic tomb, that is most definitely not as sign of an "all clear." In fact I would venture to suggest that collectors of raw cards are the ones who are most at risk of picking up an altered card. It's not like the grading companies throw the altered cards they reject in the trash - they return them to the submitter. And then the rejected cards are - you guessed it - raw cards. And they are sold that way.
And it's not like an experienced collector is going to catch every alteration. I saw that very fact proven in a room full of experienced collectors just a couple of weeks ago in NYC.
So the real question is not about who's impacted more - graded collectors, raw collectors, ungraded collectors, et. at. The REAL question is: Do you care if some of your cards might be altered?
If the answer to the question is "no," then this is not an issue that affects you.
If the answer to the question is "yes," then it is. Regardless of what you collect. Sorry, but it is what it is, no matter how experienced a collector you might be, and no matter how you choose to store and display your collection.
-Al