[qwertvt]

I use to collect baseball cards as a kid, but never took it seriously. Now I have begun collecting football cards and I am trying to keep the cards in prestine shape. I put on latex gloves and put the cards directly into a penny sleeve and (if it has value) a toploader.

My problem lies with the condition of the cards when they are received. I buy hobby boxes from online dealers (DCS and Dacard) and I have found that some of my valuable cards looked slightly frayed on the sides. Is this normal? The defect is slight and not terribly noticable but I am somewhat of a perfectionist. What kind of grade would this type of card be? Any help or advice is appreciated. I apologize in advance if I posted in the wrong category.

[krazy4cards]

Well you have to understand that these cards are all running through machinery and conveyer belts. Rarely do hands actually touch them. then transport and shipping and loading,unloading. Now depending on the card it could have a foil board that`s easy to chip or fray. It`s a good thing to try and handle all your cards carefully and I put everything in a toploader and sleeves and sometimes even a sleeve,top loader and seal it in a team bag. My advice, don`t let itdrive you nuts and that`s why sometimes grading raises the value of particular cards,especially cards that are prone to damage. Have fun and don`t worry so much about little nicks and chips.

[spazmatastic]

I agree with krazy. Foil cards tend to have chipping problems and most people understand that. Also the thicker the card is, the more likely that some chipping happened in the cutting process. I mostly concern myself with creases and badly dinged corners. Those bother me more than chipping and machine scratches. JMO and I hope it helps you some.

[qwertvt]

Thanks!