Conservation vs restoration defined by other genres of collectibles

[RiceBondsMntna2Young]

You're talking about figuring out where the line is right? You're saying folks have different tolerances for what's acceptable when it comes to changing or preserving the condition of a card. And we should be open-minded about where the line is because building a new consensus is good for the hobby. Regardless of whether that argument is being used as a smokescreen by PWCC - and I think most feel that it is - the idea probably has merit in a vacuum.

But the most inflammatory examples are those trimmed cards. Trimmed cards aren't the "restored cards..going undetected by TPGs" you're talking about, right? You acknowledge that trimmed cards have no place in our hobby, I assume? They are not restoration. They are not conservation. Trimming destroys a card. I assume you're not drawing your line anywhere near this, but I can't tell.

And if you agree with that, do you think it's a truly productive conversation to talk about what PWCC has gotten philosophically right before we know what they got wrong? The amount of known, blatantly trimmed cards they've sold is staggering. The amount of entanglements they have with named perpetrators is staggering. We don't even reach the fuzzy line you're talking about, where conservation verges into restoration/alteration.

If you're talking about transparency and dialogue, don't you think the onus is on them first to lift the veil on the entirety of the problem before we trust them to tell everyone how it should be cleaned up? You would trust an organization that didn't "get something to happen" on this front until their very survival was threatened by an external whistleblower to lead the way to a better system?

Finally, why do you care about putting this subject to rest? The reckoning hasn't yet even happened. PWCC has said this rolling crisis is nowhere near closure, so I'm wondering why you seem to be pushing for it.

Originally Posted by Goudey77

Andy, I really appreciate your feedback. If I had a motive it is to challenge the system and deliver a message to folks. Throw out ideas and let this boards knowledge serve as a think tank of sorts.

In my mind when I do a root cause analysis it comes down to the TPG.
I think most of us can agree to that. But general census is to give them a free pass because they appear too big of an entity to care about our issues.
If we live and die by the grades then the name on those slabs should take responsibility.

That's why efforts like PWCC tenets and redefining conservation vs restoration is a conversation that needs to happen at the TPG level. I don't think anyone is above it all and be the "card god". But it takes some very significant circumstances in addition to influential people to get something to happen. That is my only reason on giving PWCC the benefit of the doubt here. Maybe they can take the lead and perhaps doing something good from it.

I brought a very specific example with CGC because they have virtually removed this problem from the comic industry. I still think the solution to most of this can be accomplished if card TPG's does something similar to CGC.