Restoring cards

[71buc]

Originally Posted by ls7plus

IMHO, restoration is a trend that is gradually making its way into the hobby, and insofar as it is done with transparency, as Leon suggests, I believe you will find that it will become more and more prevalent, most often with extremely rare and significantly damaged cards. It's kind of like info technology--there just won't be any stopping it. I don't know if I'd ever participate myself, though. One of my favorite cards is my 1947 Tip Top Bread Kiner rookie, which is a fairly tough one to come across. Someone wrote "51 homeruns in 1947" on its face in fountain pen, which I actually kind of like. It adds a period touch to a card someone before me probably treasured as much as I do!

Boy--536 posts as I write this--as many as the Mick hit homers! Maybe I should stop now!

Best, guys,

Larry

I am not a fan of doctoring but readily admit to being curious about the possibilities. Last year I came across a collection of 52 Topps that the owner wrote his name on to prevent his brother from claiming them. I purchased these two very cheaply and paid $20 each to see if ink could be removed. The results were surprising. I will never attempt to slab or resell due to ethical reasons but based on these results I am certain others would be tempted to so.

[ALR-bishop]

They look great. I would not hesitate to buy either one....except I have them.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

They look great. I would not hesitate to buy either one....except I have them.

Color me surprised, Al I've only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to your collection, but let's put it this way. If you ever start your own baseball card museum, I'd pay good money for admission. However, I might leave a nose print or two on the glass, as vintage cards make me feel like a little kid again. That and I'm kinda short and a little farsighted, lol.

[the 'stache]

Mike, those '52s are beautiful, and this raises a bit of an ethical conundrum for me.

Obviously cards that have been cleaned should be considered restored. But there are different levels of restoration. Removing writing from a card is not the same as adding paper to a card, or repairing a tear. Another donor card is not destroyed in the restoration process.

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by 71buc

I am not a fan of doctoring but readily admit to being curious about the possibilities. Last year I came across a collection of 52 Topps that the owner wrote his name on to prevent his brother from claiming them. I purchased these two very cheaply and paid $20 each to see if ink could be removed. The results were surprising. I will never attempt to slab or resell due to ethical reasons but based on these results I am certain others would be tempted to so.

How did you do that? Soaking?
I see the 'after' cards are much yellower than the 'before' cards and the Rosen has distinct rectangular areas of yellow. What was your method?

[71buc]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

How did you do that? Soaking?
I see the 'after' cards are much yellower than the 'before' cards and the Rosen has distinct rectangular areas of yellow. What was your method?

The yellow discoloration is a product of a cheap scanner. The Rosen does have the rectangular area of yellow you mention. I paid another person to remove the ink. He did it cheaply as he was working on a process to remove such ink markings. Although I like these two cards they were not very valuable or rare so I thought it was worth the risk. I am unsure of the method but I think it was a chemical bath of some type. The central area of the card was minimally effected I assume some sort of mask was used to protect it. There also appears to be a slight loss of gloss to the area where the ink was. I decided not to send in more cards as the price of the cards combined with the removal was equivalent to buying an unmarked version. My intent initially was to determine if ink removal was a possibility. I have some T206s that have ink stains which I was considering sending in but I lacked the courage despite the impressive results of the work completed on the 1952 Topps. The website address is http://www.gonewiththestain.com/. He was very professional and
easy to work with. I was pleased with his efforts. He was interviewed by SCD a number of years ago http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.co...res/nerattowle.