Thoughts on CGC potentially "Restoring" Cards

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by Seven

With CGC getting into the card grading game, I noticed this discussion come up on Facebook. CGC currently offers a restoration service for their comics, and then slabs and grades them with a special label. One could only wonder if they'll eventually offer this service for Trading Cards.

This is potentially Pandora's Box. While I certainly own cards that are graded as Authentic Altered, that's only because they're a little more on the affordable side. The proespect of "Restoring" a Card seems almost sacrilegious to me. I'm curious to hear what others think. It's certainly something that could happen. Comics get restored, so does Fine Art, what is stopping cards from being next?

It's already happening. Moser and Huigens could each buy multiple houses from the cards they've funneled through PSA.

Shitstorm is already in progress.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by perezfan

It's already happening. Moser and Huigens could each buy multiple houses from the cards they've funneled through PSA.

Shitstorm is already in progress.

I'm familiar with Moser and Huigens, the entire situation is disgusting. I'm talking about cards being restored and hen being disclosed as "restored." But as Bigfish pointed out, what's to stop the restored cards from being cracked and then graded by a new company.

[Johnny630]

Absolutely No

[Republicaninmass]

Originally Posted by perezfan

It's already happening. Moser and Huigens could each buy multiple houses from the cards they've funneled through PSA.

Shitstorm is already in progress.

They have qnd actively promote a restoration service? Link please

Same posters
Same motives
Adding.nothing to the topic.

Most likely they will offer the service. Any way to make a buck!

[jcmtiger]

They have been restoring comics for years.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by jcmtiger

They have been restoring comics for years.

You would think that means that they'll eventually restore cards, and how that will play out. I know some comic book purists who are staunchly against restored comics.

[BobbyStrawberry]

I don't like this for comics or cards.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

They have qnd actively promote a restoration service? Link please

Same posters
Same motives
Adding.nothing to the topic.

Most likely they will offer the service. Any way to make a buck!

Sorry Ted!

Obviously it's a bad idea that should not gain any traction with cards. Toby's point alone in post #2 should immediately put this bad idea to bed.

[swarmee]

It's not against any law to restore something and then mark it restored. Although I don't like the idea, it's exactly on par with SGC offering the ability to cut cards and then grade them with a "sheet cut" designation. The market will adjust accordingly, and cards like that may sell for what a nice looking PSA AUTH sells for, in the PSA 2-4 price range.

People are going to commit fraud, and if they alter cards as a business model and then catch the alterations if they are submitted later to them, they're doing the right thing. If they alter the cards and then cannot tell they're altered and give them grades on the unaltered scoring chart, there will be major issues.

Does SGC still offer to cut your cards for you?

[luciobar1980]

Restoration is dumb, IMO, in most cases. But it's also very detectable on comics, so i don't see why it wouldn't be for cards.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by luciobar1980

Restoration is dumb, IMO, in most cases. But it's also very detectable on comics, so i don't see why it wouldn't be for cards.

I know there's a portion of the hobby that's skeptical of the grading companies, and what they've slabbed and let through, throughout the years.

[jchcollins]

Restoration almost caught on with cards in the early 90's, but what did instead was professional grading.

To me, the fear that restored cards being accepted could then lead to said cards being busted from slabs and thereby adding an additional dimension of confusion to the current alteration scandal mess with TPG's is silly. The answer to this all along has been more individual collector responsibility and knowledge, and demands of accountability out of hobby partners like graders. PSA and other TPG's have largely gone unimpacted by the events of 2018 - present with the scandal because at the end of the day, there is not a quorum of hobbyists who give a good godd@amn.

At the end of the day what matters is that you are satisfied with your cards as a hobby / investment. Don't buy examples that might be suspect of fraud or alteration - or even restoration - if you don't like that. Short of TPG's investing a ridiculous amount of time, money, and resources in a move towards becoming something more like forensic examiners than people who rate pieces of cardboard on a 1-10 scale (not ever going to happen...), collectors who care know they are responsible for this anyway.