ever wish grading companies had an un-slab option?

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Posted By: ali_lapoint

for example, sgc charges 5 dollars for a re-holdering fee, wouldn't it be nice if they had a similar charge to un-slab an sgc card? i have a few cards i think were treated unfairly that i would love to get out of their slabs. problem is, i'm afraid of damaging the card. anyone else wish psa, sgc, or gai would take cards out of their holders for a small fee?

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Posted By: Dave Hornish

A $2 screwdriver and you can do it yourself.....

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Posted By: ali_lapoint

like i said, i'm wary of trying because i might damage the card. i'd rather leave it to the pros.

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Posted By: Mark Anderson

Actually, we (BVG/BGS) do offer a service to crack open slabs at $3 per.

Or, as has already been noted, you can crack them yourself. Plenty of methods people use. I suggest clipping a top corner off with a pair of bolt cutters, then working a thin flathead screwdriver around the edges. Practice on a junk card if you have one.

Mark Anderson

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Posted By: ali_lapoint

wow really? i didn't know bvg did that. will you unslab any card or just bvg cards?

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Posted By: Dave Hornish

SGC is the easiest one to crack. Just go slow, starting near a corner, with a well made jeweler's screwdriver (I use the largest flat bladed one from the standard five pack).

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Posted By: Anthony S.

I've cracked maybe 200 slabs and have never damaged a single card. Once you get the case open (wrench at the top left corner of the slab) insert the screwdriver with your thumb and forefinger far enough down the screwdriver shaft (maybe only about the bottom half-inch of the screwdriver blade showing) so they act like a guard. That way you can never touch the card with the screwdriver. Please note: I'm referring to cracking tobacco cards. With larger modern cards you can't stick the screwdriver a half-inch while moving down the side of slab.

Buy a few uber cheap slabbed cards on ebay (new super shiny stuff), maybe one or two from each company, and give it a try. It's completely understandable you're nervous about damaging your cards, but everyone is the first time they try it.

edited to add: My unslabbing fee is 10 cards per six-pack. 15 cards if it's Sierra Nevada. 2 cards if it's Miller Genuine Draft.

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Posted By: Mark Anderson

Hello Ali -

We will unslab cards from any company, not just those from BGS, SGC, PSA and GAI.

You would follow the same general directions as Graded Card Review:
http://www.beckett.com/estore/helpsys/viewarticle.aspx?ArticleId=321

Mark

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Posted By: Rick McQuillan

I always worried about cracking them out, but it turns out to be very simple and safe. Use a heavy wire cutter and nip off about an inch of one of the top corners. Then use a regular old table knife to break the seal. I have liberated about 30 slabs in the last few weeks with no problems. It works for PSA, SGC, GAI, and BVG.

Rick