Conservation vs restoration defined by other genres of collectibles

[CobbSpikedMe]

Originally Posted by steve B

I for one am cynical enough to say I don't buy that. Whoever puts themselves out there as an industry leader can eventually change how people think.
In the past
"Beckett can't tell us what a rookie card is. "
"Nobody can tell us rookie cards are really worth more"
"We don't need anyone to tell us what condition a card is in" (Ok, that one is still going, but the grading companies have gotten a LOT of traction)
"No price guide can tell me what a card is worth"
"The grade should be about how well preserved a card is, not if it was printed right or cut so it was well centered" (Ok, that last one was probably just me.. )

The only instance I can think of where a big idea pushed by a company didn't really go in a hobby was PSE slabbing stamps. But then they were fighting 100+ years of putting them in albums, and nobody could figure out a good way of doing that with small slabs.

Hi Steve,

You make good points, but I don't think collectors are going to accept a new definition of what an altered card is. We still debate what a rookie card is. And what a card is worth. How many times have you laughed when a dealer pulls out a Beckett at a show when you ask what a card costs?