I have of late noticed a very disturbing trend...let me explain ! daguerreotypes are delicate images which, when so much as touched by a finger can be ruined forever...they are a pictorial part of our history that we should respect and treasure........I see them advertised as "need a good cleaning" and I cringe ! an untrained hand can give one a "good cleaning" and forever erase a wonderul old image !.....as I preuse the sales I see the trend of these wonderful old images being removed  from their cases....I see the beautiful images sold without their cases....I see them sold as "sealed" when they only have their mat and there "are" no seals ! air can destroy these old treasures as well as a careless (or well meaning) touch of a finger to the surface of these wonderful old images...this breaks my heart for I see not only images without cases, but cases without images being sold !!!  images are also being transfered from case to case, and many are sold as "older" than they really are simply by putting a later image into an earlier case !!! or they are put in a "signed" case so as to bring a bigger profit...to the untrained eye this passes by unseen....I am saddened by this happening...it is like with our old ledgers being torn up and used for scrapbooking...it is a terrible waste of our history....Give me the untouched, the tarnished, the still sealed and in original case, daguerreotype anyday ! ........