Card stuck in screw-down holder. Advice needed.

[The-Cardfather]

Hello All.

I've owned a 1950 Drakes (VG-EX condition IMO) Gil Hodges for about 35 years. It has been stored in a screw-down holder for about 25 years. I recently decided to have it graded, so I removed all the screws from the holder. The back of the holder came off easily enough, but the front of the holder appears to be stuck to the card. I don't want to pull or force the card off for fear of damaging the card. Can anyone offer any advice on how to do this?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Try putting it in the freezer for a short time inside a baggie. I've seen this technique discussed someplace before.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Try putting it in the freezer for a short time.

Agreed, though you might consider putting it in a Ziploc bag to keep any possible moisture away from it.

[The-Cardfather]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Try putting it in the freezer for a short time inside a baggie. I've seen this technique discussed someplace before.

Okay. I will try putting it in a Ziploc bag and into the freezer, but what is a "short time"?

[RedsFan1941]

start with 10 minutes and see if that helps. if not, put it back in the freezer for another 5-10 minutes and so on

[swarmee]

If you want anything more than Authentic - Altered, go with a different company than PSA. They have the Altered Stock designation that this will most likely get as pressed inside a holder. Since the pressing could have been done to remove or hide wrinkles/creases, PSA normally returns this kind of damage ungraded unless you write *MIN GRADE AUTHENTIC/ALTERED* on your submission form.

[buymycards]

I would go for the opposite solution. Try a hair dryer, a little bit at a time. Just enough to warm up the card and the plastic. Don't get the dryer too close to the card.

Good luck.

[chalupacollects]

You may be able to avoid the A designation by keeping the card in a humid environment for a week or two before sending it off (basement/bathroom.) Since cardboard is porous the indirect moisture should fatten the card up a bit without soaking it...

[iwantitiwinit]

Originally Posted by buymycards

I would go for the opposite solution. Try a hair dryer, a little bit at a time. Just enough to warm up the card and the plastic. Don't get the dryer too close to the card.

Good luck.

I agree and was going to suggest this as well. In addition to the heat breaking any adhesions between the card and the holder the heat will cause both to expand at different rates given their relative densities and it might pop right off the holder.

[The-Cardfather]

Originally Posted by buymycards

I would go for the opposite solution. Try a hair dryer, a little bit at a time. Just enough to warm up the card and the plastic. Don't get the dryer too close to the card.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by iwantitiwinit

I agree and was going to suggest this as well. In addition to the heat breaking any adhesions between the card and the holder the heat will cause both to expand at different rates given their relative densities and it might pop right off the holder.

Rick & Robert-

You guys are brilliant! I had to wait for my girlfriend to come over with a blow dryer. I tried it by "blowing" the side of the slab that the card wasn't stuck to. After about a minute of this, the card popped right off!

Thank you!

[philliesfan]

Nice! Glad it worked out. Too bad I did not know about this method with my Gretzky rookie. At least it still graded an 8 with just minor chipping.
Robert

[irv]

When I joined this site, back in 2016, I panicked when people told me to get my cards out of the cubes I had them in.
I remember, when I inherited the cards, putting them in these cubes, thinking I was doing the right thing, to protect them.
Little did I know that the opposite could happen!

Thankfully, I didn't screw them down tight, just tight enough to barely hold them. I also laid them on their edge instead of their backs, which, I am sure also helped.

[Leon]

That is great!!

Originally Posted by The Cardfather

Rick & Robert-

You guys are brilliant! I had to wait for my girlfriend to come over with a blow dryer. I tried it by "blowing" the side of the slab that the card wasn't stuck to. After about a minute of this, the card popped right off!

Thank you!

[bbcard1]

It breaks my heart, but one of my winter projects is to remove my cards from two pieces.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by bbcard1

It breaks my heart, but one of my winter projects is to remove my cards from two pieces.

So you have cards in holders and now they are possibly in 2 pieces and you have to undo them? If so, been there.....not fun. Just go slow and do the best you can. At the end of one of my large projects I just decided to tape the whole piece up because it was in so many pieces it was no good otherwise. It was a sheet of cards though...

[Lucas00]

Want to give this thread a Shout-out.
Got this '53 Northland Bread label (Thanks Mac!) Ran my hair dryer on the back of the screwdown and it popped right off in 30 seconds or so!