How many of you wash your hands before touching your cards?

cranejoshua

This is a subject that I am interested to hear your responses on. It is an area that is probably not thought of much, but can have a huge effect on your cards. Any time you touch your cards, you are leaving whatever you have on your hands behind. If you ate at McDonalds six hours earlier, and didn't clean up, theres a pretty good chance that the oil and grease is going to be left on the card. The same goes for any kind of food, but the of the bigger problems is cigarette smokers. The nicotine, tar, and smoke stays on the fingers and really leaves a nasty effect on the card. The problem is that many people do not realize the stuff that can accumulate on their skin, and inadvertantly transfer them to the cards. I know I may sound like I am being very picky, but it almost seems careless not to pay more attention to how we are handling our cards. I would like to hear everyone's opinion on this matter. Thanks, Josh

Derrick

Actually, we already have oil on our skin to begin with so everytime we touch the cards, we are leaving oil base on them. It doesn't matter if you've eaten anywhere, been working on the car with greasy hands (who in their right mind would handle cards with greasy hands anyway?), and etc.

Everytime you open a pack of cards, and you touch the cards, your leaving some sort of oil base on them, so it doesn't really matter on weather you wash your hands or not. It might help a little, but you'll still have some sort of resedue on them.

alaneads

I dont smoke, but I really only wash my hands when handling vintage cards.... modern cards are almost worthless anyway, I use them as ashtrays for my guests

Derrick

Also, I don't think I want to see anyone using gloves while opening packs and etc. That's out of control picky. The best thing to do is have them in protective cases automatically after getting the card(s) depending on which one's you want in top loaders. Of course the commons doesn't matter, but you get the drift.

cranejoshua

I appreciate the response. My intent is to see just how people view the handling of their cards. I imagine there is a spectrum. I also want to hear how people feel about having things like nicotine and tar on a card they have just got in a trade from a smoker.

DaBeef

Uhhh, do you wash your hands before you eat? lol
No I like to replace rear mains on a BB Ford an rip a box of 86-87 fleer basketball.....lol

NatAker

I usually wear white, pure cotton gloves, and I use a surguical-quality stainless steel blade to cut open the packs, and of course, padded forceps to remove the commons (or as I like to call them "pack cancer). This is, of course, after entering a clean room by walking through a dust-free air lock. Upon finding a good card, I have my nurse hold open an acetate-free plastice sleeve. Next, I place the card in the sleeve and I use a special machine to vacuum out all the air and seal the card in. Then, I place the card in a UV-protectant hard plastic case, the outer rim of which is reinforced steel. Lastly the cards go into a fire proof safe in my bomb shelter, never to be seen again.
Isn't that what everyone else does?
-nat

Derrick

lol Nat, exactly...

autobilia

Well, once my cards go into penny sleeve and top loader, they are rarely touched again.

cranejoshua

Nataker, I appreciate your humor, but that isn't what I was looking for on this subject. I was addressing what I feel is a serious subject. I would appreciate the same.

NatAker

Just trying to add a little levity to the board.
Seriously though, my answer is no, unless, of course my hands are particularly dirty. But if my hands aren't dirty, I don't wash them, I just hold the cards by the edges, and the good ones go right into top loaders.
-nat

Bobstar

Neat subject matter.When we open new boxes we do in fact,wash our hands before ripping & hold the cards on the sides with our fingers.
We don't worry as much when we buy a $9.99 retail box from kmart
but we still do handle them on the sides tho.

A while back we were buying collections & one guy we bought a collection from wore gloves & had most all the football in binders.Even the loose cards he sold to us are in MINT condition thanks to his cleanliness habits.I told CJ to hold on to these until he is ready for college.They'll help pay for it.The guy collected alot of late 70s & 80s football/baseball.

jbugs

i usually hold the cards my the edges, i never really touch the surfaces of the cards. so there isnt a great need to wash my hands everytime i go through them, unless they r visibly dirty.

sonicsfan

Derrick is right about the oil already pre-on-our-hands

And also, me-
I am from a non-smoke home. Clean house.
My hands are always free-clean from excess food, drinks, etc.
I always was my hands after doing something (eating, working, using bathroom, etc).
So if you call that my hands are clean, they still have the oil already on our hands.

jbugs

exactly sonic, same here.

Josher416

funny topic! I dont wash my hands unless they are dirty or sticky

-Josh

LAdude465

what do you mean when you touch them? i only touch my cards when/if i pull them and after that they go stright into a top loader

cardnyou

i only wash my hands before i touch myself

playr050

<< <i>funny topic! I dont wash my hands unless they are dirty or sticky

-Josh >>



lmao, same here!

funnyguy0015

no, i dont feel my GU patches lol

c0LLect0r

Yeah. I just grab the card by the edges and if it is good I will put it into a penny sleeve and a toploader. I will only wash my hands if they are full of dirt and that crap.

airKobe08

who touches there own cards? I only touch vince carter cards because there good for my spokes on the old huffy/ other than that................. DON'T TOUCH!!!!!!! YOU BREAK YOU BUY

cranejoshua

I appreciate your responses.

Anyone else?