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Posted By: Dan Bretta

There is a paper conservator in Omaha that I saw on a local PBS show that aired right after Antiques Roadshow a couple of weeks ago that removed vintage ink from an old photo just by dropping some unnamed chemical onto the ink...it just flat out disappeared. I could imagine that someone with that knowledge and talent could do some real damage in this hobby.

What I don't get is that restoration is quite acceptable in many hobbies, but for cards it is a no-no. Do you suppose there will ever be a day when erasing, rebuilding/rebacking will be acceptable? I think we have to accept that many things like trimming has been going on as long as cards have been collected. I noticed some T206 cards in SGC Lionel Carter slabs that were trimmed and labeled authentic. Do you think he picked them up back in the 40-50s, did it himself or are they something he picked up more recently (1990s)?