One Final Informal Poll on Taking Out Creases

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Posted By: Greg

I'm pretty new to card collecting and, in an attempt to learn as much about the hobby as I can, I'm trying to soak in as much of this topic as I can. (I guess "soak in" isn't the best term I should have used, now that I think about it).

From what I gather, it appears that soaking cards to remove a crease or glue residue/dirt seems to be taboo among the purists. From this discussion, the general concensus appears to be that a card should never be touched in any way, shape or form.

Although I can truly appreciate this sentiment, I guess my question is two fold.

First, who's to say that the high end cards out there were never touched by water before they entered the collecting market? I guess I don't understand why a card can't be cleaned, or pressed to remove a crease or warp if there is no alteration of the card beyond it's original state, especially if it can't be detected. Did rain ever hit it? Did someone clean some dirt off it 50 years ago? There's no way of absolutely knowing the true history of these century old pieces of cardboard.

Second, if water, the most basic cleaner out there, is such a taboo substance to touch the surface of a card, why then is sticking these little pieces of history in a plastic slab with a cheesy computer generated sticker on it, thus permanently altering it's historic appearance for all of eternity, so widely accepted? If anything alters the overall appearance of a card, these slabs seem to be the most blatant. From an esthetic standpoint, they leave a lot to be desired. From a historic standpoint, nothing says early 20th century than plastic.

While I'm pretty new to collecting cards, I have, for the past thiry some years collected late 19th and early 20th century Brewery advertising. The good portion of our collection is composed of paper/lithography, most of which are the only known examples of their kind. I have never felt it inappropriate to "conserve" our items through restoration...stabilize water marks by having them reduced, repair tears or creases if possible (which is not always possible), and, finally, having these historic treasures mounted in archival, historically appropriate frames. Has it ruined their original state? In my opinion, no. It has stabilized them from further deterioration for future generations to enjoy and it has made them more pleasant to view overall. None have been returned to a "like new" appearance, but now that they have been conserved, they are less likely to deteriorate over time. I know most museums conserve items when appropriate. Just look at what the Smithsonian has done with the Flag that flew in Baltimore. If it wasn't for conservation, this national treasure would probably be gone in a century.

I know cards are different from what I've been talking about, and I appreciate fully those who want their cards untouched, but I thought I would just give another perspective.

As far as what cards generate monetarily based on a grade scale in a slab (when there seem to be hundreds of the same card out there), I'm still trying to figure that one out....that's going to take more time I suppose.

OK, I'm ready to be slammed now....

Greg