Every card collector now knows that if a new card is going to have value it needs to be kept in pristine condition. Even if a card is vintage and has damage, is there such a thing as making the card more valuable with further damage? Collectors and card investors also know not to play games of prior generations. And of course they know not to handle cards without care like a 6-year old does. Still, there are many ways that collectors damage their prized cards on accident or without even knowing they caused damage.

Collectors Dashboard has tracked many questions and comments on social media where collectors have discussed how certain damage occurs. Others have even unknowingly demonstrated the exact handling of a card in a way that they can damage their cards. And there are some silly observations that we have witnessed (or even admittedly engaged in) over the last forty years or so.

Back in the days when vintage cards were opened from new packs there were many games and tricks that destroyed what could have been thousands of dollars in present value. Kids wrote on cards or glued them into books, and others used pins or tacks to put them up on a wall. Cards were used in bicycle wheels to make a cool noise. And cards were flipped, flung across rooms or were shot with rubber bands in games. And cards were carried in pockets or wrapped in rubber bands. New modern day collectors know to avoid any of those actions.

What is often overlooked is just how easy it is to accidentally or unknowingly destroy a card’s value. Similar to the first plastic sheets being sticky and harming the face of cards, a lesson learned in the early 1980s, there are many easy ways that collectors hurt their card values without even knowing it at the time — and many of these actions take place immediately before sending cards in to be graded or to be mailed off to a buyer.

Collectors Dashboard evaluates collectibles as an alternative asset class, and that certainly pertains to keeping sports cards and non-sport cards in the best possible condition. This does of course pertain to high-end collectibles, and new cards that are either already valuable or which are being speculated on to be valuable in the future still qualify as an alternative asset class.

Many collectors will know about these overlooked ways to hurt a card value. It’s impossible to offer education to every collector, and admittedly there are many more ways beyond these that can accidentally or unknowingly hurt the value of your cards.

Here are 10 ways that many card collectors accidentally or unknowingly damage their valuable cards.

DON’T OPEN PACKS & BOXES LIKE IT’S A KID’S BIRTHDAY GIFT

Being careful upon opening a card pack is imperative. Ditto for opening a box of card packs.

Rapidly opening a pack can easily allow you to have a pack fall or allow you to ding a corner. You probably won’t be so clumsy as to get a wrinkle for this gaff, but your hoped for “10” just went to a “9 or 9.5” (or lower if it wasn’t a 10 to start with) in a fraction of a second.

Kids are great at damaging their cards as is, but watching a youngster tear open a card pack like it’s the last card pack they may ever see can wreck corners and sides. Having seen some card breakers be quicker than others, the excitement and speed can be a factor.

STICK WITH HOW YOU STORE & DISPLAY YOUR CARDS

Do not keep changing how you display your cards. If you keep your card in a soft penny sleeve, keep it in there and then make sure that stays in a box or container. If you want to put it into a top-loader, do it with the penny sleeve still there.

One beckoning call from the other room or one little distraction when you are removing a card or putting it into a new case makes it easy to ding a corner or make a nice hard edge have some wear.

KEEP PENS FAR AWAY FROM YOUR CARDS

Many cards get dinged for grading because of a tiny dot they did not see. Certain collectors ask sometimes about how a tiny mysterious blue, black or red dot is on their card that hurt a grade and was never seen. Chances are good that there was a pen on the table when they were opening the cards or moving into the next case or when they were filling out a paper grading submission.

It’s easy to fall for the trick that it is just one pen and it’s not even in the way. Not until you have 50 or 100 cards on your table and they start getting scattered out, closer and closer to that pen.

KEEP AWAY FROM CARPET AND BLANKETS

Do not display your cards on carpet nor on a blanket. Some collectors and sellers of cards like to display a card on carpet or sometimes on a comforter rather than on a kitchen counter, desk or even a dark piece of paper. This is dangerous.

When you set your card down and a corner sneaks out of the sheath (or if the card is raw and exposed), it’s too easy to nick your corner (particularly on the back side) when you go to photo the card or when you pick it up. Worse, you will not even think twice about it because it was perfect the last time you looked at it. And even worse than worse, you get up real quick and forget the card is there or a kid or pet comes running into the room and steps on the card – presto, instant worthless card!

NO HOLDING BY THE SIDES

Holding your card by the sides is a no-no. Every adult and teenager knows to not hold their cards by the corners to avoid dings. So why do some of the most professional dealers and even card breakers hold new cards with a thumb pressing on one side and one of the three middle fingers on the other side? This can damage a card’s gem-mint status.

Maybe your card gets away unscathed from one instance of side holding, but try picking up a card like that and holding it that way 25 times in a row. It was painful watching someone hold an ungraded rookie Michael Jordan this way so the whole card was visible (but I did see this before).

POOR PACKING FOR MAIL DAY

Collectors buy and sell cards all the time. What is amazing is how often a seller hardly takes any precaution at all when sending their cards in the mail. Sometimes the cards are in penny sleeves or top loaders with hardly any cardboard or hardly any bubble wrap. And some senders even wrap cards up raw in bubble wrap or in foam padding and the corners can get dinged.

When you send a perfectly mint card in the mail or via a ground or air carrier, these packages and what is in them shift around a lot on a journey. They get thrown and sorted into containers by people or machines who likely are paid to care about getting the package to you fast rather than in what condition they arrive in.

SHOULD YOU WRAP THOSE RASCALS?

Sorry for the pun, but some people wear gloves when holding cards or card cases. This may be too much for some people, but many card collectors and investors do not handle their cards without wearing latex gloves. This can create new problems that might not have otherwise been there, but it prevents fingerprints and any body oils from getting on your cards. Some people even demonstrate this when they are holding their cards on videos.

If a glove is tight and restricts movement, then it’s not worth it or you will need larger gloves to prevent unseen damage. Wearing gloves is also a way to prevent finger prints from getting all over a hard plastic case for a poor presentation.

KEEP FOOD & LIQUIDS AWAY

If you have worked in an office environment long enough, you have managed to spill coffee, water or a soft drink on your keyboard or on yourself. Ditto for sandwiches leaking juice or condiments. Now imagine you are this innocent little gem-mint sports card on the surface of a desk, table or counter minding its own business. A drink gets knocked over on to your card, or liquid rolls over into the side and underneath your card. Or imagine some pizza grease or hamburger grease dropping onto a card. You might get lucky with no damage if it is just a split second, but even the most durable of the newer cards that are easier to keep in mint collection are going to absorb liquid or pick up a stain after a while.

Vintage cards in mint condition or any other condition are exponentially more likely to absorb any liquids instantly versus modern cards. Vintage cards were not designed with more glossy and more durable paper stock. Their creation was also done without knowledge or care that they might get damaged over time.

BEWARE OF THE ENVIRONMENT

When collectors are handling a mint condition card, even if it is already graded, the immediate environment can create problems. On a perfect day with the window down by your desk can be dangerous if the wind picks up or if it unexpectedly starts raining. Keeping cards in a higher temperature area with higher humidity can allow for a card to stick to its sheath.

Grading labels can become rippled over a decade or two. Cards can also absorb moisture, particularly if they old vintage cards. And many unopened card packs over time can start to feel like a brick over time even in the best of conditions.

DO YOU NEED A BREATHALYZER?

OK, so this one will hit home with any adult who has collected cards for years and enjoys an adult beverage. After some adult beverages it is too easy to want to go fool around looking at your card collection. Or maybe you even want to show it off to a friend or a family member.

You might not have an dangerous accident sitting around with your card collection enjoying a beer, spirit or wine. That doesn’t mean you might not forget any of these issues above and accidentally wreck your card. And of course, how easy is it to drop something after a drink or two?

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Please feel free to send in tips and other suggestions. We don’t have to sound like we are trying to be parents, and the crowd is a great place to learn about and share new tips. Please note, no cards were physically damaged during the writing of this article.