I have built what I consider a very good collection by doing exactly the opposite of what you have said.
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Yeah, my point wasn´t very strong. I would not take that risk for changing a 5 into a 7, but gains are gains I guess.
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People who are married to the idea that the zenith of collecting is “PSA 10s or bust” should know that PSA has already cheated on you.
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I’m waiting for these alterations to have long-term effects on the cards that show up years after being slabbed. I can see there being a huge scandal where grading companies have to pay out their guarantee on tens of thousands of cards years from now, forcing them to work more on detecting these alterations.
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They have short term effects too:
Not all cards that go through the altering process end up like this, but on cards where creases are pressed out this can happen.
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Exactly correct!
Masterpiece paintings are 1-of-1 works of art that deteriorate over time. Restoration is really the only option to ensure that future generations are able to view the painting, lest it fade or crumble into nothingness. Each restoration is documented and disclosed. There is no “condition premium” on a rare painting because often only one exists.
Pokemon cards are not rare paintings. As you note, they are mass produced cardboard with premiums on their condition. So altering cards to remove major damage isn’t for preservation purposes, it’s for monetary gain––passing off a damaged card as one that deserves a higher premium. No person who alters Pokemon cards will disclose they are altered, because the purpose of alteration is fraud. Fraud is at best unethical and at worst criminal.
I’m glad we agree on the differences between painting restoration and card altering.
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Oh nice, I haven’t seen this before. Do you know if anyone has successfully received a guarantee refund for those?
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The farthest I personally go is a tiny dab of water to clean dirt specks off the surface of a card; altering isn’t for me.
….But the question is, at the end of the day, if noone can discern a difference and it leaves no negative impact, does it matter if a card has been restored?
When the actions clearly mess with a card’s original appearance, then obviously it’s a different story, but if there’s no discernable evidence of alteration, then what’s the point in worrying/second-guessing whether this good condition card was once a bit grubbier?
I just think it’s all a bit hyperbolic with the shouts of fraud and outrage.
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It’s from pokapsacollector12 on IG
Idk the rest of the story if he said he got refunded or what caused it but it’s a pretty significant example nonetheless
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Yeah, I don’t think anyone is arguing that cleaning off some dirt is altering. We all do that and it’s fine. Similarly, soaking a card in splooge and using multiple humidity cycles to press out a crease is clearly altering. The line between those is gray.
As @Dyl mentioned earlier, he had a good thread previously on what constitutes altering. It’s absolutely something up for argument. As I noted in that thread, personally I believe altering is when you permanently add to the card (using foreign materials) or remove from the card (trimming/wiping).
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I agree with you and Dyl on what constitutes as cleaning Vs altering. My main point is more that (within reason), whether undetectable altering should be given the same minimal consideration as cleaning.
If altering isn’t confirmed by a seller/previous owner and can’t be proven, how much is it worth the energy worrying?
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Lots of those people asking about card authenticity aren’t asking about altering though, They’re enquiring about fakes. Altering doesn’t have any impact on the authenticity of a card.
I’d question that last assertion tbh. If you explicitly state that your card hasn’t been restored, and it can later be proven that it was, then you would be in breach of consumer rights violations (at least here in the UK), but it wouldn’t be fraud. Fraud would be Akabane’s alleged shenanigans.
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It’s not an exaggeration to call card altering fraud because there is a legal precedence for it in the US. The guy who trimmed the T206 Honus Wagner was convicted of mail fraud.
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This is definitely on the extreme side.
Anyone who has ever bought cards from Japan will know how easily small crumbs and other things stick to cards with the humidity there. A dab of water on a q tip, or even just exhaling on a card and wiping it like you would with a pair of glasses and you can usually get them off.
Considering those altered cards? Yeah i think you’re pushing it a bit too far
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Every Grading/Authenticating company should be thoroughly testing for foreign materials, alterations and the like. It is not the fault of the customer to expect an unaltered card within an encapsulated slab from a reputable grading entity.
Obviously the differences between cleaning and altering have been discussed ad nauseum, but it’s still important for collectors to do their due diligence in understanding what makes a card altered. Kurt’s kRAzY KaRD KRemE is immediately identifiable in person if you’ve spent any amount of time holding authentic vintage cards. I don’t think this entire ordeal is as impactful on customers as we are so passionately led to believe. Trust your gut when buying. Grading companies will only continue to improve their abilities to detect alters
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Interesting! Being a UK based collector that couldn’t tell you one sports card from another, I’ve never heard of that one before.
What did the ‘mail fraud’ actually relate to? From what I read, the owner cracked the slab and trimmed the card to try for a better regrade….this sounds scummy, but PSA’s job is to identify alterations like that, so who is being defrauded?
Obviously trimming is the sort of egregious stuff like leaving chemical smears and stains on a card that goes beyond the pale because it’s clear there have been alterations.
That’s the stuff I agree ruins a card.
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misread. oops.
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We also have a other things we say in Blighty to respond to that, but I won’t be rude.
The comparison to a car in an accident seems a little off. Cards don’t have log books or any legal requirement to list damage.
If someone buffs a minor scratch out of a car’s bodywork, or has the bodywork professionally painted, it’s common courtesy to disclose that info, but you’re hardly getting hit with a fraud charge if you don’t disclose it.
Authenticity of an object simply isn’t invalidated with alteration/restoration. A Da Vinci is still authentic, even if it’s been restored. A Rolls Royce is still an authentic Rolls, even if it’s had replacement parts. The condition might be viewed as inauthentic to how it “should” be, but the item itself still remains real.
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Fair enough. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
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Something i will admit is that, yes i have restored cards before. HOWEVER, i have never and will never submit those cards for grading. Like the original post said however too many people use the ability to fix cards in a malicious way just to make money. 
I honestly dont know how to stop it, but so long as we can maybe stop someone from doing it maliciously for money then its what we can do
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