Posted By:
petecldSorry for the long reply
First off, crooks will take advantage of any system a company uses and fools will always be fools. You can't say, "No, can't do that because. . . " since no system is 100% fool proof and why cater to crooks and fools. cater to the majority who will use the system wisely.
There are a few details not mentioned that may ease some of your fears. I think the CGC system is the best one used. When a comic is graded and restoration has been found it isn't just graded and given a qualifier. If the comic in it's current state (after restoration) is Very Fine, the label would clearly read "Apparent VF (#.#)" and given a different color label as well as a list of the restoration found done to the book. If a buyer chooses to ignore that information just because the seller says CGC is wrong then that is his/her prerogative and they deserve what they get.
Also, restoration IS NOT accepted in the comic collecting field. A restored book in NM condition will sell for a small fraction of a book in NM un-restored condition. CGC is smart for thinking they shouldn't cater to one mind set. Their approach covers everything. They are making money on every submission AND helping the future buyer in the process. That's a win-win situation in my eyes. I wish SGC would do the same. SGC could do the same or just label the card "Altered" or "trimmed" and mention no grade at all. Maybe instead of black liners in the holders they could use blue or red to slab trimmed or altered cards.
Your first question might be, "Well, the submitter could just take the card out of the holder?" Fine, so what. People are doing that now. or "The seller could say SGC was wrong and put it in the wrong holder?" Well, again, if a potential buyer CHOOSES to ignore what a 3rd party who doesn't benefit from the sale over someone who WILL benefit from the sale then they are free to do so and deserve whatever they pay for. Like I said, fools will always be fools. SGC will have done their job properly and there is no way anyone can hold anything against them.
I see nothing wrong with having a card in an SGC holder with any of these labels:
- "Authentic" (with no grade at all) (Done at submitter request)
- "Trimmed" (with no grade or "Apparent XXXXXXX" grade)
- "Altered" or "Restored" (with no grade or "Apparent XXXXXXX" grade)