Will provenance become more important?

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Posted By: Corey R. Shanus

Provenance to me matters very much. However, it is more that it comes from a legendary collector (e.g., Lionel Carter). What is equally important is that the collector pulled the card from the pack himself. Be it the '38 Goudeys or the '49 Bowmans or many other issues. Because I know the cards came directly from packs Lionel bought, I have no doubt that nothing was done to them. However, for issues he obtained from other sources, his provenance means little because who knows what the cards went through before they came to him (for example, I understand a number of his T206's are in fact trimmed). I believe that as time goes on provenance will become more and more important. More collectors will recognize the capabilities dishonest people have to alter cards. And in the process more and more cards will undergo the alteration factory line.