The standard answer for whether altering a card is ethical is always the same: if it is disclosed then there is nothing wrong with it. But we all know too well that if thousands of cards are to be treated with this formula, many of the procedures will not be disclosed. Perhaps even the majority won't.
Here is my read as it applies to the grading companies. There are two things that graders do that are an asset to the hobby:
1) They check a card for alterations, ostensibly making it safe for buyers to purchase it in a dangerous marketplace.
2) They grade cards, and I think we all agree that the value of any baseball card is predicated on the grade it receives, hopefully an accurate one.
If this new product is as successful as Dick says, here is what will happen:
1) The grading companies will no longer be able to tell with any accuracy whether or not a card has been tampered with since the alterations will be undetectable.
2) They will no longer be able to grade cards accurately since ones in Good and Very Good holders will be broken out, processed, and reappear as Excellent or EX-MT.
The result is that the assessment of any card will be less reliable than ever. Can anybody see this being a good thing (unless you are one who hopes for the demise of third party grading)?
|