Posted By:
Scott Elkins...........Every person I talk to that has been in the hobby 20 yrs or more knows it's always gone on and always will.....I mainly collect gd-vg cards so it's really not that big of a deal. I would be more attacking the grading companies if I were you. They are the ones not catching the things that can't be detected >....best regards
First of all, I have been collecting since 1978. I think most of us "old timers" in the Hobby will agree when I state that altering cards was not a big problem until Copeland started paying outrageous amounts at the time for NM cards. This is when some dealers with $$$ in their eyes started trimming cards to sell to Copeland (and, as many of us old timers know - Bill Mastro was acquiring a lot of these cards for Copeland)!
Also, you want us to attack the grading companies and NOT Mastro Inc. and Doug Allen, after Doug admitted to altering cards before sending them to grading companies. Well, this is assinine! This would be like blaming the police for not catching a criminal! Oh, you killed someone - well, it is the police department's fault for not catching you. You are OK in my book, it is the police who we should blame. Common - use a little common sense!
I do agree with one thing Leon stated - I also collect lower grade cards. That is one reason I still win lots from Mastro Inc. I will never consign with them again, and there are definitely cards in their auctions I would NOT bid on. However, it is like I told some people new to the Hobby - if you are going to bid on a lot in a Mastro auction and don't really know what to look for in regards to restoration or trimming, simply bid on SGC 40's and below. Do NOT bid on ungraded lots in their auctions nor PSA graded cards - especially high grades! As for autographs and game mem. - don't touch it with a ten foot pole!