I will defer to the memorabilia collectors w/r/t the sign cleaning. That said, I cannot imagine not cleaning grime from an item I buy; some of the non-card stuff I've handled is so grungy that it is unpleasant to handle.
As for the E95 Cobb, it is apparent on looking at the scan that there is damage on the top border and red color. You'd have to be blind to miss it.
I went back and read the LOTG note because it reads to me like the people here read two completely different texts. Here is what is says in pertinent part:
"PLEASE NOTE: We received an email from an astute collector the night before the auction closed, asking about what appears to be an erasure of a small stain along the top border of the card. In reviewing the card, it does appear that at some point, there was a small stain (remnants of which are still visible in the scan) along the top border of the card, just left of the center. It appears that an attempt was made to remove the stain at some point, which has resulted in a minor discoloration of the red background along the very top border (also visible in the scan). This card was graded quite some time ago, and we are unsure of whether SGC factored the discoloration into their grade, or if they missed it. Regardless, it is visible. While our policy is to withdraw items that are discovered to be altered, in this case we believe the alteration is visible enough that it is debatable whether or not it was done deceptively. Despite this, we are sending an errata email to all bidders on the card, and giving them the opportunity to cancel their bids on the card if they so choose."
So, the card has a visible flaw that SGC may have considered: since it has no qualifiers, we don't know. The card was offered up with a big scan (click the enlarge button) that clearly shows the flaw. When it was brought to Al's attention the last day of the auction, he contacted all of the bidders and offered to let them retract their bids. The winner chose to buy the card anyway. I fail to see the harm. If it was my bid, I would prefer the option of maintaining the bid if I found the card acceptable. That would seem to be the best outcome for the consignor, the winner, and the AH.
Lemme ask the naysayers this: if I sell this card with this scan do I have to
disclose that it has back damage? Is that where we are?
