[Seven]

I think some very interesting and well written points have been made, I wanted to chime in and comment on a few things.

I am not going to pretend like I am an expert at identifying alteration, far from it. Concerning grading, I also live by the adage "Buy the card, not the grade." I would also say, I've purchased cards that have been labeled by the grading companies as "altered" as I have found that I can get a nice looking card, that presents well, for a fraction of the price.

Altering has been going on in our hobby, for a long time. The unfortunate part is that so many cards slip through the cracks, that are altered and then assigned number grades all the same. If you want to soak or trim your cards, for your own personal collection, I am not going to judge you.

I do have a problem with the people that do it, strictly for some sort of financial gain. It's dishonest, and I know there's a lot of dishonesty in the world, but I think it's a damn shame that it occurs. You can call my viewpoint naïve, but that's what I maintain. It doesn't surprise me that it occurs, but I don't like it.

It was also referenced before, I can't recall which post off the top of my head. It aggravates me to no end, that certain parties or individuals can get away with submitting clearly altered cards, or altered cards with a long history, and yet still receive number grades. I'm not calling out specific parties due to the nature of the rules, and myself wanting my name to be private, if there's an issue with this paragraph, Leon, I will gladly delete it.