Spring cleaning comes early to the Plank household...

I try and try to wrap my head around grading but sometimes and every time I think I have it figured out they change the game.

The concept of grading I thought was to bring a set of standards if you will to grading and acceptable practices in our hobby done by businesses and collectors.

But where does the line get drawn on what is acceptable and what is not and why are there still such variances in what is sold to us a global set of standards?

Which brings me to this lot here below, this card listed here was sold last year in REA.

Now the card is being re-listed in its new PSA holder bumped up half a grade. All normal sometimes you can get a bump on a re-submission. But should you get that bump after chemically cleaning a card? The stains present on the above example are way more than a simple dry erase and distilled water soak IMO. If I am correct in my assumption then why would this card still remain its numerical grade?



http://www.paragonauctionsite.com/LotDetail.aspx?lotid=40&searchby=0&searchvalue=None&page=0&sortby=0&displayby=2&lotsperpage=50&category=1

Love to hear your thoughts on this I know there have been many debates on cleaning, pressing (spooning) cards etc. but to me this is example is well above.

Seems to me at this point this card has been altered from its original state, and thus should be AUTH anytime you enhance a cards features through manipulation of any kind at that point the card is altered and should simply get an AUTH grade. But hey that’s just my two cents share yours.

Two quote Steven Wright.“If it's a penny for your thoughts and you put in your two cents worth, then someone, somewhere is making a penny.”

Cheers,

John

PSA graded the cleaned the card. That's pretty much all the needs to be said.

If the cleaning was done...and was undetectable upon PSA's re-grading it...how does that make PSA negligent?

IT has been shown that stains can be removed and the removal is undetectable...this is obviously what was done.

Can grading companies keep databases of images of all cards...and then try to identify them upon grading...this is not reasonable...or feasible?!

This is not a PSA is negligent post to be clear.

What I was asking is simple do you think cleaning a card as dramatic as above is ok and the card should keep or gain in grade status? Or do you feel that the card has thus been altered and should be considered AUTH?

When it comes to card image database nobody is saying all cards, but the 6-10 Planks that go up for sale a year and other cards of equal value isn't hard to track IMO or at least check were talking less than a year.

Cheers,

John

A card that is restored this much should not receive a number grade. When it con be shown conclusively that a card, such as this is restored, it's imperative that that TPGs take a card like this back and regrade it. The owner may not be happy about it, but in a case like this were it's unlikely the card changed hands since the REA auction, I say too bad for the owner. It was his choice to restore card. You should not be be rewarded for restoring cards.

I agree with you, Jay, in that we...the collectors need to police the hobby in situations like this...and the TPG's should listen...and make adjustments once evidence is presented.

"only taking something off the card that wasn't meant to be there originally..."

there are varying degrees but this is the worst example of altering to deceive. all that for a .5 grade bump. what a scumbag! the stress of cracking the card out, cost of sending it in to be cleaned up, cost of grading, consignment fees...after all the costs are added up i hope he turns a $20 profit so he can buy himself a decent lunch and choke on it the fat bastard.

OT: HAPPY CHINESE VIETNAMESE NEW YEAR EVERYONE

It's a T206 Plank. It's rare. It's valuable.

I gotta think the difference between a 2 and a 2.5 on something like this isn't worth all the hassle of a restoration.

Happy year of the Rabbit to all as well!

I kinda think the guy was onto something here.

PSA not the only one guilty of this. Check out SGC graded D304 Wagner that went for 45k at Goodwin a couple years ago then got restored, bumped and sold at Heritage last fall with the same serial number. Yikes. And they got buried on the sale nonetheless. Lesson - don't pay a premium for cards just cause you think you can restore them.

I had this thought today while driving at work, WWREAD? or What would Rob Lifson do? My guess is he would handle it the same way he handled the 33G Lajoie a few years ago.

We need more dealers and auction houses with Rob's level integrity.

It should be an AUT and not a numerical grade. I too hope the seller makes nothing on this sale, and maybe the next time it will discourage him from doing something like this again.

Is nothing sacred? The color has been sucked right out of his face. The clorox used to "improve" the borders seems to have turned his portrait green. Looks as though poor Mr. Plank has swallowed a bottle of bleach.
Obvious, amateur, tampering should not rewarded. PSA & SGC should collaborate more closely to prevent such misrepresentations from reaching the market.