I like framed stuff too. But seldom buy it. I do my own framing.
When I see something framed It always makes me wonder.
Was the framing done reversibly? Or did they glue the item to a backing board. (I have a couple things that were done like that, nothing expensive but it sort of bugs me.)
What are they hiding with the framing? Is that program missing a page or two, or the back cover. Does the nice looking card have back damage?
Most pro framing jobs are sealed with tape, and convincing a seller to cut or remove the tape to be sure the item isn't damaged is harder than it sounds.
Of course if the framing is part of the item or is period or fairly old I can forgive a lot. I bought a big picture of a B-1 that was signed on the mat by some of the engineers I think to celebrate the first test flight or some similar event. But the framing was cheaply done, and water has stuck the photo to the glass. If I could find that photo I'd replace the damaged one with a copy, but until then I just leave it as-is.
Steve B
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