Altering cards is bad but altering artwork is ok?

[barrysloate]

Picasso's Guernica and Rembrandt's The Night Watch were also attacked and damaged and subsequently repaired.

Different areas of antique collecting have different threshholds when it comes to restoration. Furniture and vintage cars are typically restored, and while original examples are more valuable, restoration is expected.

Collectors of coins and baseball cards have a lower tolerance and don't accept restoration of any kind without the object taking a huge hit in value.

[poorlydrawncat]

It's also worth noting that even among art historians there is much debate as to whether or not restoration is an acceptable practice. The controversial restoration of the Sistine Chapel in the 70s and 80s is an excellent example; the restoration was heavily criticized and many frescoes were damaged and in some cases erased altogether during the process. Of course, not all forms of restorations are equally controversial (both in the art world and the card world), but I would actually wager that the reaction to alterations to a painting and to a baseball card would be pretty similar among experts/collectors in their respective fields.