Erasing pencil from the back of a postcard. Will it grade A?

[Lucas00]

I have a postcard that someone wrote a number on the back of. I wouldn't mind if the entire back was filled out with a story and all. But to just have a little number written vertically on a horizontal post card is very annoying to me. I want to send it to sgc but don't want to have the number live another day. So my question is, if I do so will they consider that altered? Can you even tell if a small somewhat faded mark has been erased on a postcard back?
Any tips or tricks are greatly appreciated.

[Gorditadogg]

If you are going down that road you might try contacting Brent Huigens at PWCC.

https://www.cardlines.com/pwcc-new-s...viewed-by-psa/

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[Lucas00]

Originally Posted by Gorditadogg

If you are going down that road you might try contacting Brent Huigens at PWCC.

https://www.cardlines.com/pwcc-new-s...viewed-by-psa/

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Not sure what this is implying? Clearly I'm not attempting to scam or cheat anything or anybody. The post card will Never be for sale. This is purely for my own sake and sanity.

That said, people writing on postcards surely also erased marks or numbers when originally owned. Say they got an extra as a gift for themselves and did a math problem on the back and erased it after. Would it grade authentic or get a number?

What dictates post card alterations? Time? I'm the owner and removing an annoying mark on something that has the purpose of being written and erased on. Will that be held against me? How is that different from the guy who did it 75 years ago that just got his back as a 5?

[kimo75]

It depends on how much is still visible. I’ve had a few Kahn’s cards that had the years listed on back with light pencil come back with grades once erased.

[Smarti5051]

I am not knowledgeable enough in TPG to answer your question, but I too was taken aback by the insinuation that your question is akin to "altering" cards. In my view, "altering" a card is taking an action to change the nature of the cards natural state (ie trimming, recoloring, bleaching, etc.). Sort of like what a plastic surgeon would do to change one's "defects" or "aging." There is nothing "wrong" with the natural state, but somebody believes they can look "better" by taking superficial actions. By contrast, wiping off fingerprints, trying to erase stray marks, or using some sort of goo remover to remove something foreign on a card is not altering its natural state. I look at this more like taking a shower and washing the dirt off your body, or using a match to remove a tick from your skin. The body does not naturally have dirt of bugs on it, so it would be natural to remove those things. In the actual case at hand, the writing on the postcard is not "natural" to the card, it is the result of a human intervention (like a fingerprint on a shiny chrome card). I do not see it as an affront to the hobby to try and gently remove such a blemish to return the card to its natural state. I suppose this is walking a pretty fine line, but I think if you are doing what a normal person would do to "clean" your stuff, then I think it is reasonable. If you are doing what a surgeon would do, using years of training and specialized methods and equipment to do something a normal collector could or would not normally do to their stuff to alter the natural state of the card, then it is out of bounds.

[Exhibitman]

PC dealers often write the price in faint pencil on the card back. Drives me crazy too. Removing that isn't doctoring any more than soaking a card off an album page. If the pencil did not etch a groove into the paper it will erase cleanly. Use an Artgum eraser to avoid tearing off the top paper layer and work carefully and slowly with minimal pressure.

[jayshum]

I thought if there was writing on a card, PSA would give a numeric grade with a MK qualifier, but if the writing was erased, then the grade would be Authentic Altered.

[Lucas00]

Originally Posted by Smarti5051

I am not knowledgeable enough in TPG to answer your question, but I too was taken aback by the insinuation that your question is akin to "altering" cards. In my view, "altering" a card is taking an action to change the nature of the cards natural state (ie trimming, recoloring, bleaching, etc.). Sort of like what a plastic surgeon would do to change one's "defects" or "aging." There is nothing "wrong" with the natural state, but somebody believes they can look "better" by taking superficial actions. By contrast, wiping off fingerprints, trying to erase stray marks, or using some sort of goo remover to remove something foreign on a card is not altering its natural state. I look at this more like taking a shower and washing the dirt off your body, or using a match to remove a tick from your skin. The body does not naturally have dirt of bugs on it, so it would be natural to remove those things. In the actual case at hand, the writing on the postcard is not "natural" to the card, it is the result of a human intervention (like a fingerprint on a shiny chrome card). I do not see it as an affront to the hobby to try and gently remove such a blemish to return the card to its natural state. I suppose this is walking a pretty fine line, but I think if you are doing what a normal person would do to "clean" your stuff, then I think it is reasonable. If you are doing what a surgeon would do, using years of training and specialized methods and equipment to do something a normal collector could or would not normally do to their stuff to alter the natural state of the card, then it is out of bounds.

These are my thoughts exactly! Well said.