Alteration vs. Conservation Defined

[vintagetoppsguy]

Alteration, conservation, doctoring or whatever you want to call it, at what point does it become illegal? It's not against the law to doctor a card. As unethical as it is, the cards belong to the owners and the owners are free to do with them whatever they choose - soak it in twenty different chemicals, trim it, draw a moustache on it or whatever. If it were illegal, Dick Towelle and others would already be out of business a long time ago.

So, at what point does it become illegal? Sending it to PSA for grading? Selling it without disclosing the work that was done? In other words, if a prosecutor was trying this case, what kind of charges would he pursue? What party would he bring the charges - the doctor, PSA, the consignor? Just curious and hoping some of the legal eagles could shed some light on what we hope is to come.