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Bottom of the Ninth"Point is maybe you shouldn't make that assumption, at least with certain issues.
What would be the big deal of adding a disclosure to the effect: "a statistically significant number of graded cards from certain issues have in fact been altered and all bidders buy such cards at their own risk"? The only reason an auction house would not want to make such a disclosure is because it might lower the price the card sells for, thereby indicating that the auction house was in fact concerned it was imparting new material info to its bidders."
Or the other reason is that is an absurd disclosure to make. Where are these statistics you are referring to? Have PSA, SGC and GAI published the number of cards they have bought back? All you have is a grading company issuing an opinion on the condition of a card and applying whatever their criteria and assuming the associated liability, deciding to place a numerical grade on the card. Judging an encapsulated card as altered is also nothing more than an opinion, and in many cases one that is even more subject to error. There are statistics for how many cards are graded but none for those bought back or for those where an unspecified number of people have opined about the originality and authenticity of a card once encapsulated.
If the day comes where dealers have to start to give an outside opinion (and guarantee) on the opinion asserted by a grading company then there is really no point in having cards graded. Wouldn't this be like having a publicly traded company have an audit by a CPA firm and then have them hire another CPA firm to have them audit the audit process? Where do you stop? A bit silly, really.