What I Don't Understand about Baseball Card Economics

[drcy]

Originally Posted by RollieFingers

Museums hire people to paint/ restore artifacts, old things.
Like world war one medals ,weapons , paraphernalia.
It's still the thing it was, and now better.
How does trimming a card now make it fake or of lesser value? Unless it's proven that a trimmed card eventually starts to peel/fold at the edge , while encased.. what's the big deal?
Unless it's a completely reproduced, digital, computer copy. It's THE card.

Because the pricing of baseball cards is in part based on the condition of the card in it's natural, unaltered state. It isn't just "what it is" that is part of the value, but the natural condition.

Or, to answer it another way, because altering a card reduces the value. Condition-wise, an altered card ranks below the lowest number grade (1). It literally doesn't even get a number, though AUTH is quasi 0.