To Erase Or Not Erase

I'm new to Cover Collecting and have a question about pencil marks on the covers themselves.

Whether it be the name/address or identifying marks/price, etc., is it ok to erase pencil marks on a cover?

An Example: I have a cover where the addressee's name is written in pencil but the last name was covered up by the stamp. So the addressee rewrote his last lame above the first name in heavier dark pencil than the rest.

I would like to erase, or at least lighten, the last name as it looks out of place.

So what is the official protocol for this? My initial reaction was that altering the original aspect of the cover would devalue it. However, the name was written in after the fact by the original owner.

At any rate I appreciate all of your feedback and comments.

BT

Hey Big Texx.
I've just recently gotten into cover collecting as well. I often am annoyed at notations added to covers by collectors or dealers. I do erase pencil notations such as prices or added dates, as long as they are not too big or heavy. I use a good white gum eraser and rub very gently to remove the pencil.
I'd stop short of removing addressee's names or anything else to due with the origins of the cover, though. The idea of cover collecting, to my mind, postal history. Where that cover has been and to whom is all part of saving them in the first place.
And again, I wouldn't attempt to erase anything if I thought it might damage the cover. Sometimes you just have to live with it.

Here's an example. This stampless cover I've posted on a couple of other threads, has a notation of the year it was written, 1846, in pencil in the lower left corner. I don't know who wrote it. It's obviously not original to the cover, on the other hand the script looks like it might possibly be old.



In the end I decided to leave it because of the age of the paper. It's watermarked J WHATMAN TURKEY MILL 1843, so this paper is almost 170 years old. Better to leave it than risk damaging the paper.

My two-penny opinion: I have around 1,500 covers, many of them with various markings, addresses, etc. Very rarley do I try to erase any markings. Many times what I would consider a mark that should be removed will not be a hinderence in its value. Looking at jamesw cover, I personnaly would not consider the "1846" notation as a value detraction at all.

The best way to erase the pencil marks is using white gum. I not had any problems. The great problem is when the mark was made with pen . Well, not is a cover from U.S.A., but is a good example of the undesirable marks



Regards!
Rodolfo

It all depends on 2 things;
1. If in light pencil then consider it.
2. If it provides information about the cover, leave it.
i.e. a short grocery list might be a good candidate for erasure.

Art

Though not in pencil, I really like the markings on this cover.

The red notation on your cover made me laugh, art. "This postmark is really valuable"
Ya, until you wrote that...

Sometimes even non-related notes can add interest to a cover I think.
It's the little ones like this, on a postal card, that I usually erase. Again. A good white gum eraser, and gentleness.

The only time I would erase anything off a cover is if the information is incorrect. Example would be someone putting a US #64 or #65 on a cover where the stamp has a clear grill. Best to leave marks in place and never touch up covers or stamps that are certified.

Bigg Texx
Leave everything. Try and consider that it all adds to the charm, knowing the journey your item has made.