The Card Altering Services Saga Continues

[Johnny630]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

What is in place for it to continue? The quick buck flips of modern are gone. Chase cards harder to find. People losing weekly/daily on "set breaks". Psa graders tougher than ever. Many headwinds here, aside from recession, bitcoin tanking etc

I'm not seeing any softening on the really good stuff, vintage prewar, and Post War in Major AH’s I’m not talking average stuff I’m talking high end quality vintage in high grades..I see no headwinds at all. Investment grade cards again not mediocre PSA 8 60’s mantles I’m talking Cobbs Ruth’s 6’s and above along with 50’s mantles mays Jackie in 8’s and 9’s. Not slowing. The set breaks modern and crypto are all garbage not shocked it’s tanking and has further to go. The goods not going anywhere.

[mordecaibrown1]

This stuff has been going on since the 80’s
Ruth’s Frankenstein together using parts from commons
Turning them into high grade cards

[Seven]

Originally Posted by mordecaibrown1

This stuff has been going on since the 80’s
Ruth’s Frankenstein together using parts from commons
Turning them into high grade cards

Can you go into a little more depth about this, I haven't heard about it before. Goudey's were getting cut up and pasted together?

[mordecaibrown1]

Back then I knew one of the restorers quite well. He told me the process. And not just Goudey's. Many cards from many sets 1800's up to the 1950's. Even full sets.

[Snowman]

Perhaps I'm missing something. Where is he altering cards? All I see is a guy taking cards with bent up corners and pushing them back down, sticking cards in a humidor and then letting them dry them flat, and gently cleaning smudges off the surfaces of cards.

If any of these actions I mentioned qualify as "altering" a card to you (resulting in it not being grade worthy), then you might as well just throw in the towel on collecting cards altogether. Because 99% of collectors who have raw cards with bent up corners are going to try to push those back down. And sticking a card in a humidor is no different from shipping one from Vegas to New Orleans in the summer.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Perhaps I'm missing something. Where is he altering cards? All I see is a guy taking cards with bent up corners and pushing them back down, sticking cards in a humidor and then letting them dry them flat, and gently cleaning smudges off the surfaces of cards.

If any of these actions I mentioned qualify as "altering" a card to you (resulting in it not being grade worthy), then you might as well just throw in the towel on collecting cards altogether. Because 99% of collectors who have raw cards with bent up corners are going to try to push those back down. And sticking a card in a humidor is no different from shipping one from Vegas to New Orleans in the summer.

This has also kicked around my head for a while. At the end of the day, we all draw our own line in a different place. I do think that purists are going to have to soften in their stance or get out all together, because I see a wave of “card preservation” normalization is coming.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by conor912

This has also kicked around my head for a while. At the end of the day, we all draw our own line in a different place. I do think that purists are going to have to soften in their stance or get out all together, because I see a wave of “card preservation” normalization is coming.

We are the only paper-based collectible hobby that does not conserve items. This is a 200 year old print:



This is a 100 year old print:



The 200 year old cotton-rag print has a better chance of making 300 than the 100 year old wood pulp print has to make 200. I am not against properly performed efforts to conserve the paper. More and more of our cardboard is going to rot away due to acid from the wood pulp paper. The chemical reaction can be halted and some of the damage reversed with proper conservation techniques. If we do nothing we allow the history of the hobby to rot away.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by conor912

This has also kicked around my head for a while. At the end of the day, we all draw our own line in a different place. I do think that purists are going to have to soften in their stance or get out all together, because I see a wave of “card preservation” normalization is coming.

The purists can maintain whatever drawn line they wish to stand behind, but the rest of the hobby doesn't owe it to them to entertain or appease their demands. If I push down a lifted corner with my finger, I'm not going to put a sticky note on my card to remind me of that fact for when I go to sell it in the future. Sorry, not sorry. Everyone flattens down a bent corner. If someone finds that problematic, then they can just go find another hobby, because everyone is doing it and no one is disclosing it because there's nothing to disclose. And every TPG would give that card a numeric grade.

Just look at the comments on that TikTok video linked to in the OP. The comments/likes are about 1000 to 1 in favor of what Kurtscardcare is doing in the video as being completely acceptable. If you take issue with what he is doing, then you are *vastly* outnumbered.

IMO, as long as you are not removing card stock or adding something to the card, then you are not altering it.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Perhaps I'm missing something.

Yes, you are.

Follow the link in the first post. The landing page has these words, among others:

"...Sprays, Polishes, Edge/Corner repair..."

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Perhaps I'm missing something. Where is he altering cards? All I see is a guy taking cards with bent up corners and pushing them back down, sticking cards in a humidor and then letting them dry them flat, and gently cleaning smudges off the surfaces of cards.

If any of these actions I mentioned qualify as "altering" a card to you (resulting in it not being grade worthy), then you might as well just throw in the towel on collecting cards altogether. Because 99% of collectors who have raw cards with bent up corners are going to try to push those back down. And sticking a card in a humidor is no different from shipping one from Vegas to New Orleans in the summer.

“Taking cards with bent up corners and pushing them back down” is a dictionary definition of altering, sorry.

The roller stick he sells is an altering tool.

[Tomi]

Has anyone ever seen a crease somewhat reappear or a corner coming back up after the card has been holdered? I've wondered if these alterations are permanent or temporary fixes.