Brent/PWCC interview on recent controversies

[swarmee]

My thoughts:
1) (3 minutes in) He is confirming that his standards are not industry accepted and that the card industry needs to "mature" into accepting HIS definition of conservation. We see in the various responses to PWCC's posts on many message boards that very few people agree with him. He also claims that there are no grading company rules about what is/is not acceptable. This is a flat out lie, since PSA's grading page specifically lays out what they consider ungradeable alterations. He also fails to mention the importance of informing buyers of alterations/"conservations" that have occurred, something that is industry standard in many other collectible/investment fields.

2) (6:30 in) Tenets "are what we hold the grading company accountable for." "We will refine this to be in everbody's best interest." In the case of spooning out a crease, is it initially conserved because you can't spot it, but later becomes altered as it reappears? This is why nobody trusts what Brent has to say on this subject. PSA disagrees on removing pencil marks from a card; it's there in their list of alterations. He claims that his stance lines up with PSA's, but it's absolutely wrong.

3) As manufactured state: as long as it can't be detected, it isn't altered. Again, BS. If the intent is to hide flaws with an item, that is alteration. If it can't be detected by the grading companies, and they're claiming they can detect it, they need to come clean. Because more and more of these cards will end up getting reimbursed by their Grade Guarantee funds and continue to disgust their customers. Good alteration = Good conservation. No wonder he's such good friends with guys like Dick Towle. He's drank his solvent Kool-aid.

4) Take the 1951 Bowman Willie Mays RC that was recently found to have the embedded gum/wax stains on the reverse removed. If you didn't have the before picture, it's "conservation"; once you've been provided the before picture, is it now "alteration?" Or are you still going to call it conservation?

5) Take a shot every time he says "mature" or "asset". Let me know how drunk you are. At 9:45, he basically says that spooning out creases or pressing/flattening cards/corners IS CONSERVATION.

So there's my thoughts for the first 10 minutes. I'll keep watching.