The majority of us on here have opened a pack of cards in the
last five days since 2018 Topps Series One debuted on the final day of January.
While opening a pack from my blaster, I realized I have a
very specific, consistent way in which I open a pack and look through the cards. And I’m wondering
how you do it, as well. I know there are only so many ways one can open a pack,
but I’m sure we all have our quirks.
Here are mine.
First off, pretty standard, but I rip down the back seam to
avoid dinging any quarters. I do a full rip.
Next, with the stack in hand, I hold them up from the side
to see if there is a thick card in there that could possibly be a jersey card.
What’s weird about this is that I’ve probably pulled a total of less than 10
jersey cards in my entire life, so I’m not necessarily on the lookout for them
or expecting them. But each time, without fail, I check the sides of the cards
first to see if anything looks out of the ordinary.
Now I do what might be my quirkiest thing when opening a
pack. I slide each card just a little bit to see if there is a sliver of anything off-colored or
shiny, hinting at an insert or parallel. I don’t flip directly to that card if
there is indeed something there, but I just like knowing I’m about to stumble
on something different in the middle of the pack.
In this instance, you can see a Legends in the Making insert waiting for me. I think it was Trout.
Finally, I move each card to the right (swipe right!) with
my thumb. I’m not a see the card, send the card to the back of pile like I know
some people are. I probably haven’t opened a pack like that since I was kid.
Now I just sort through each card with my thumb, but leave them in the order
they came.
What about you? What do you do? Do you put the card to the
rear of the pile to get to the next? Do you do anything you feel like is unique
or quirky?
I try to open my packs as neatly as possible so that I can reuse them. But I don't do any shifting to the back or anything. I'd like to believe the cards keep changing until I see them for the first time in isolation lol.
ReplyDeleteI open pretty much the same way, without looking for the relics. However, I sometimes see a video on YouTube of a kid opening cards (sometimes really expensive cards) in a manner that almost always rubs or outright bends corners. It's painful!
ReplyDeleteI don't do any extra stuff. Open them the same way since I was 9: look at first card in the stack, shift it to bottom of the stack, repeat.
ReplyDeleteI'm like you, go down the seam but then, so as not to spoil anything, I quickly pull the cards out of the pack and flip the stack over so the top card is, well, on top. Then, I slowly go through each card and when I finish, I go through then again, then I flip the stack over and check the backs and look at the code numbers to see if I missed anything.
ReplyDeleteI'll open a couple packs carefully so I can scan them in for my collection. Otherwise, I'll rip them open without any special technique
ReplyDeleteI also do the "swipe right" method of flipping through a pack of cards. I also try not to look at the back of the last card in the pack, but often times curiosity gets the better of me.
ReplyDeleteI just open the pack,turn it over to the front card, and go in order,top to bottom. Same thing since I was 7. If something different is in there then that makes it a true surprise.
ReplyDeleteMy methods have changed a good bit over the years. Now I seem to go top to bottom just pulling Pirates out. When I'm doing my box breaks I sort as I go based on which cards are going to Brian, Kevin and myself.
ReplyDeleteFor flagship Topps I usually look at the cards backwards first to scan for SP codes. If nothing is found I flip them over just to look at the photos. Then repeat.
ReplyDeleteFor all other releases its swipe right style.
Great question. I don't know if I have a standard way to rip into packs. I'm pretty sure I use the back flap to help me open it up. From there... I'm pretty sure I look at the top card first, then when I'm done I put it on the bottom of the pack and keep doing this until the whole pack is revealed. I think if I know I have a hit, I might put it off to the side and save it until the end of the pack.
ReplyDeleteI do it just the same as you but do not do the little preview step to check for shininess, etc. I open all my packs, keeping them in order and then will sort by team if I'm sending them off to various collectors or by number if I'm building the set myself. Great post! Have loved the comments.
ReplyDeleteI open the packs the same way too - with the seam, which I pull all the way over to the side so the cards will slide out sideways and not catch the corners.
ReplyDeleteThen I sift through and flip over all the ones that are upside down. I usually pull out the inserts and parallels as I go, making a big stack of base. I keep the two wrappers that don't get too ripped apart to put in the box with the set.