Restoring cards

[the 'stache]

Maybe it's the stock broker in me, but I find restoring cards to be highly deceptive.

Ask yourself this. Would a particular card be restored if it weren't being sold? Likely not. The sole motivation (at least most of the time) for doctoring a card is a monetary one, and it is dishonest. It is a misrepresentation of what is being sold, and unethical.

[Bestdj777]

Originally Posted by the 'stache

Maybe it's the stock broker in me, but I find restoring cards to be highly deceptive.

Ask yourself this. Would a particular card be restored if it weren't being sold? Likely not. The sole motivation (at least most of the time) for doctoring a card is a monetary one, and it is dishonest. It is a misrepresentation of what is being sold, and unethical.

I likely would not restore the card unless I was selling it. I prefer the well-loved look of my cards as is. I think your statements wrongly assume that, if I got it restored, I would not disclose that information when selling it. There is no way I would sell a card without fulling disclosing that information. I would be restoring a 1952 Mantle. To reach the full monetary price of the piece, I would have to have it regraded after restoration. Most bidders are too hesitant to lay out money for an ungraded copy sold through the internet. So, any card I sold that was altered would clearly be labelled altered. Under those factual circumstances, does your opinion on restoration change? I am still not sure where I fall on the restore/don't restore line of thought. Fortunately, there are no plans to part with the card any time in the near future.

[David W]

I would think there are at best a handful of cards post WW2 that would ever be considered for restoration.

They are just too plentiful for the most part. Even the 52 Mantle is available to anyone who wants to pay the price. There are at least 22 on Ebay right now.

Even pre war, there are only a few cards that would be "restorable" and I doubt they would be able to slip them by PSA or SGC or Beckett due to the high profile of the card.

[Wymers Auction]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

I likely would not restore the card unless I was selling it. I prefer the well-loved look of my cards as is. I think your statements wrongly assume that, if I got it restored, I would not disclose that information when selling it. There is no way I would sell a card without fulling disclosing that information. I would be restoring a 1952 Mantle. To reach the full monetary price of the piece, I would have to have it regraded after restoration. Most bidders are too hesitant to lay out money for an ungraded copy sold through the internet. So, any card I sold that was altered would clearly be labelled altered. Under those factual circumstances, does your opinion on restoration change? I am still not sure where I fall on the restore/don't restore line of thought. Fortunately, there are no plans to part with the card any time in the near future.

After you sell it how do you guarantee that the disclosure will be made next time it sells?

[Bestdj777]

Originally Posted by Wymers Auction

After you sell it how do you guarantee that the disclosure will be made next time it sells?

You can never guarantee that the disclosure will be made. However, the only cards that, in my eyes, are worth restoring are those that should already be purchased with extreme caution. People should not be purchasing good condition, but ungraded, 52 Mantles without having a high level of knowledge about the card and carefully inspecting it in person prior to purchase.

[cammb]

Do you consider removing of a tape stain a "restoration".

[Bestdj777]

Originally Posted by cammb

Do you consider removing of a tape stain a "restoration".

I consider the removal or addition of anything to be restoration.

[pepis]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

I consider the removal or addition of anything to be restoration.

So, one of the things going on in the hobby is people buying empty wrappers and nm cards from the 50s/70s and fining pieces of gum, puting it all together
and seal it back up, this would be called wax pack restoration right?