There are a lot of things that need to go right in order for your sports and gaming cards to get the best grade possible. Pulling a nearly flawless card from a pack, preserving your find using card storage best practices, understanding what grading companies are looking for when they grade cards, and so much more. However, on of the most important tasks, which is often times overlooked, is prepping and shipping your sports or TCG cards for grading. This may seem a little overwhelming to the new hobbyist or collect, but it really isn’t too difficult, especially if you have plan and have the tools and supplies needed to successfully submit your cards for grading. So, let’s get to the planning.
PREP YOUR CARDS FOR GRADING
It’s always a good idea to ensure your cards are in great condition prior to shipping. While the purpose of this article is not to delve deep into card grading details, it’s still a really good idea to screen your cards and ensure they are free of any dust and/or fingerprints before sending them out for grading. As you have probably witnessed, those holo, Prizm, and other ultra-glossy cards are extremely prone to fingerprints. That said, here are some tips and products many collectors and hobbyists have used to prepare their cards for shipment.
- WEAR GLOVES WHEN PREPPING YOUR CARDS: Use gloves that won’t shed or leave any residue on your cards. This is important for a number of reasons. First, minimizing the risk of your sweat from touching the surface of your cards. This may seem minor, but sweat is mainly composed of water, but it also contains salts, sugars, ammonia, urea, and other chemicals which all have the potential to damage your cards long term. So, why take the risk (especially when handling highly valuable cards)? Second, handling your cards with gloves minimizes the risk of scratching your cards with your fingernails. This may not seem like an overly apparent reason to use gloves, but, if you have ever wiped down your cards before, you know just how close your nails are to the surface of the card. This just adds a bit of a protective barrier between your nails and your cards – just in case. Lastly, what happens when you are ready to put your card back into that penny sleeve? Well, undoubtedly, you are going to touch the surface of the card and all of your cleaning work will be for naught if you aren’t wearing gloves. One last note, make sure the gloves you are wearing are also chemical free. We like to use nitrile gloves that are free of ammonia, latex (in case you are allergic), powder.
- INVEST IN SIMPLE CARD GRADING TOOLS: In general, anyone sending their cards in for grading wants to get the highest grade possible. So why not take a closer look at your cards before sending them off for grading? You can pick up really inexpensive centering tools, lights, magnifiers, etc. that could help you determine whether or not it’s worth sending your cards in for grading. Print defects (i.e. print lines, dimples, etc,), edge/corner wear, surface scratches, and other minor card issues can easily be picked up under the right lighting conditions and under 4-10x magnification. So, if you are looking for that perfect 10, it’s a good idea to do a little homework up front.
- AMMONIA-FREE/OIL-FREE QUICK DRY LENS WIPES: As mentioned above, you want to avoid any chemicals that could damage the surface of your card(s) and you also want to minimize any moisture migration into the card itself. So, while low-moisture, ammonia-free, quick-dry wipes are used and recommended by many collectors to clean high-gloss cards (e.g. Prizm’s), you still want to minimize the amount of time any moisture is sitting on the surface of the card. Just like all of the tips on this page, you should test them out on a variety of lower-end cards to test the results before moving on to your best cards. Also, you should also make sure your cards are completely dry before inserting them into penny sleeves or other plastic holders.
- NON-SHEDDING MICROFIBER TOWELS OR MICROFIBER LENS CLOTH: In many cases, if your cards have been well cared for, you can simply use a non-shedding microfiber towel or microfiber lens cloth to remove dust and fingerprints from your cards. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when selecting a microfiber towel or cloth. First, make sure, especially if you are using microfiber towels or rags, they are completely free of any debris before wiping down your cards. Any residual debris could lead to surface scratches. Second, make sure your towel or cloth doesn’t have any loose edges or trim that will catch a corner or edge of your card. Third, dedicate your microfiber towels or lens cloths for card cleaning only. For example, do not grab a microfiber rag you recently used to wipe down your countertop or to dry off your automobile (that’s just a bad idea). Lastly, when wiping down your card(s) it’s always a good idea to wipe from the center of the card to the corner or edge. This minimizes the risk of catching a corner or edge. Again, test out some options on lower-end cards before progressing to your more expensive cards.
- VALUATION: This section is a bit of a sidebar, but it is still a really important part of the card preparation process. You are obviously considering sending your cards in for grading because they hold some investment value, maybe for sentimental reasons , or just to protect your cards for the long-term. Regardless of why you choose to get your cards graded and encapsulated, you will want to keep them protected and insured along the way. So, take a bit of time and research the value (or potential value) of your cards. When it comes time to ship your cards you will want to make sure the carrier’s standard insurance will cover their loss. If not, you may want to consider purchasing additional insurance to help protect against lost or damaged packages/goods. Just something to consider…
SELECTING THE RIGHT CARD & SHIPPING SUPPLIES
The main purpose of this overview is to provide you with a rundown of how to pack-off your cards and provide some justification for doing so. Ensuring your cards are securely packaged is super important, but, equally important, is making certain the cards can be easily accessed by the grading card company without much risk of damaging the cards. Here are some things to consider when packing your cards:
- USE PENNY SLEEVES WITH TABS & SEMI-RIGID CARD SLEEVES: This section is mainly about making it a bit easier for the grading company to remove your cards when they are ready to be graded. First, you want to make sure to carefully place your card in a penny sleeve and/or a penny sleeve with a built-in tab. If you use a standard penny sleeve, you will want to add a tab (or Post-It flag) on the outside/top of the sleeve with the end of the tab (or flag) hanging over the edge. Just make sure the sticky side adheres well to the penny sleeve and no adhesive can come into direct contact with the card. Second, you will want to carefully insert the penny sleeve into the semi-rigid card sleeve leaving the flag/tab portion of the inner-penny sleeve accessible. This makes it super easy for the card grading company to remove the penny sleeve from the card saver or semi-rigid card sleeve.
- USE CARDBOARD & TEAM BAGS OR GRADED CARD SLEEVES FOR ADDED PROTECTION: Now it’s time to add a bit of additional protection to your shipment. A common shipping prep method is to start by taking 3 or 4 of the prepared semi-rigid card sleeves and placing them between two pieces of thin cardboard that are slightly larger than the sleeves themselves. The next step is to use some painter’s tape to secure your semi-rigid card sleeves between the two pieces of cardboard. Next, take your stack of 3 or 4 cards and place them in a team bag or graded card sleeve.. Now your cards are secured and easily accessible. Repeat the above process until all of your cards are safely inside the team bags or graded card sleeves. Once you are done with this step, it’s time to add a bit more protection.
- USE FOAM SHEETS, BUBBLE WRAP, OR A BUBBLE MAILER FOR ADDED PROTECTION: It’s a really good idea to wrap your stack of team bags or graded card sleeves with foam sheets or bubble wrap and secure the wrap with painters tape. Or, you can insert each of your team bags or graded card sleeves inside a bubble sleeve (our favorite) and secure with painters tape. Either way, you just want to make sure your cards are secured and surrounded with some kind of soft, impact-resistant, packing material.
- BOXING YOUR CARDS: Now it’s time to insert your cards inside the shipping box. It’s a good idea to secure your cards inside the box using packing peanuts or another type of inexpensive protective shipping material. Now it’s time to tape up your box, purchase a shipping label (don’t forget insurance), and drop your package off at your preferred shipping provider/store (i.e. USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc.). Now, sit back, relax, and let Relic Card Grading take care of the rest.
