Is My Card Worth Restoring?
Not every card is a good candidate for restoration, and saying so upfront is part of doing this properly. Here's how to decide before you send it in.
01Strong and poor candidates
Restoration works best on damage that can actually be corrected, like creases, dents and indents, even when a card has more than one of them. It's limited where material is missing or the wear is spread across the whole card.
- Fixable damage. Creases, dents, indents, bubble creases, warping or surface grime. One issue or a few, if it's damage restoration can correct, it's a good candidate.
- Graded lower than it looks. Once we find the defect holding the grade back, it can often be addressed.
- Bought cheap for a known flaw. A deliberate buy, with restoration planned as part of the purchase.
- Heading to grading. A cleaner, flatter card gives it the best realistic shot before you submit.
- A card you love. If it matters to you, it's worth restoring, whatever it's worth on the market.
- Worn all over. Heavy whitening on every edge, or wear across the whole card. We can't correct what's missing.
- Needs new material. Peeling, tears or missing pieces would need material added. That's alteration, and we don't do it.
- Capped by other factors. Poor centering, corners or print quality will hold the grade back no matter what we fix.
- Restoring to flip, but the numbers don't work. If you're planning to sell for a profit and restoration would cost more than the value it adds, it isn't worth doing.
Even a card that's worn all over can still be worth restoring if it means something to you. If you're not looking to profit from it, it doesn't need to make financial sense. If it's the card you had as a kid and it's staying in your collection, we won't turn it away. That's a good enough reason on its own. It won't come back mint, but we'll fix what can be fixed.
For what each type of damage looks like and how well it responds, see Understanding Card Damage.
02When it's probably not worth it
Sometimes the right answer is not to restore a card. It's usually not worth it if:
If you're unsure whether restoration will meaningfully change your card, DM us photos before you send it. Once your order is placed and your cards are with us, we'll go ahead and do the best we can with each one.