I don't like musty smell on my cards, so YES I do sometimes sniff large lots of card before I buy them. If musty cards were never water/flood damaged, it is likely they were stored for many years in a damp, wet environment. This can't be healthy long-term for cardboard.
It doesn't mean I sniff hundreds of cards. A box of 100 cards can smell of mold/mildew as soon as it is opened. If not, sniffing 1 card will usually suffice. A few musty cards can pollute an entire box.
I was recently at a show where a dealer had large lots of 50's-70's Topps cards. I didn't need to sniff his cards. I could smell them just from walking past his table.
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