Truthfully, all of this card cleaning stuff causes me stress. I dont like it at all. It feels deceptive and exploitative. It also adds a level of redundancy into condition/ grading imo. If cards can be restored to better condition, whats so special about cards that are in good condition?
Originality in materials and condition is a substantial aspect of the character of the collectible for me. I find it odd how accepted this seems to be and it makes me feel like these people dont appreciate the history and life of a collectible. I have an old spiderman comic that has tons of indents on it because it looks like a kid put a piece of paper over it and tried to trace spiderman from the cover. Is it damaged? Technically. Yet theres something special about a kid in the 80s sitting at their table trying to trace spiderman on the cover because of how cool it looks. It reminds me of myself as a kid, as well as the passion and love that exists for these things. Thats what collecting is about to me.
Ironing out those indents for a couple extra bucks feels like a destructive bastardization of this hobby and its history
I would not say I ârefuseâ to buy high graded Vintage with a higher than 4 cert, but I am surely not part of the group who will pay a ânew cert premiumâ for vintage. It makes me a little nervous when buying expensive slabs, and I would absolutely pay a bit over market or select as an option an older slab/older cert in the 2 cert rangeâwhich seems about the most common cert for cards I actively seek outâif given the choice. I view any new cert vintage cards with suspicion and I want nothing to do with any cards that have been ârestoredâ or âcleanedâ or whatever. Feels gross. Want less gross in hobby. Want more not gross.
Have you got a source on this? Canât find anything on the website, in they FAQs they say they donât support card cleaning
Oh man, that is depressing.
Thanks for sending this!
I wonder if they are using card care or just removing dirt specs with microfibre. Iâll ask
Edit: Hereâs what Dan said:
âWe use water based methods, no products are applied, flattening is classed as altering so we wonât do that eitherâ
After all that you end up with another 4.5âŚ.
And the same exact surface score to boot. This guy was very thrilled to show off results on behalf of his client as well haa.
Point is, vintage it doesnt matter what you do your not turning a 7 into a 10. This is an example of a full service with the works and it didnt even see a grade bump.
A lot of you have in your minds that these products and services work miracles
If ur card is flawed it will remain so
I wonder if the argument would change if grading companies allowed it. If PSA suddenly said, âwe will be starting a cleaned/polished/pressed cards service but will label them as restored/pressed, different than the normal alter, officially done and backed by our professional team and fully insured.â So either you get a nicer card or you get clarity of whats been done.
There are plenty of examples where there is a grade bump but regardless, thatâs not really the central concern. I think the problem most people have is that the cards have been put into a processed/altered state. And people donât like the idea that a card they could be buying has been non-transparently altered without their knowledge or consent.
Consider the teabag theory:
I never read teabag theory but i spit out my coffee reading that LOL
insanity, clean cards only please and no altered
Yep, those altered coins are even graded as âcleanedâ
scrotum oils
you are correct!
The premium for a PFM 10 is wild
Thoughts on this?
good purpose but uninformed at the same time
