I'm wanting to get a 1995 Finest set; would I be crazy to remove the film off the cards?

Estil · November 1, 2006 3:03AM

Okay, right now I'm interested in getting a 1994 and 1995 Finest set to go with my 1993. Since even the 1993 set can be had for only $100, I figure the 1994 and 1995 sets ought to be even more affordable still. The problem is that the 1995 set has that silly peel off film which Topps put on the cards in order to protect the surface from scratches. While it was obvious Topps had the very best intentions in mind with the film, the problem is that it makes the cards look rather ugly with the film on. Therefore, if I was to get the 1995 Finest set, I would like to simply peel the film off the cards so they'll look much better. Do you all think I'm crazy for wanting to do that? I do remember a Beckett article years ago where someone got a Finest card, peeled off the film (with no damage to the card whatsoever, card was still totally Mint), but the dealer responded "Yeah, it's a nice card, but it's been peeled. Sorry." Also, it's been 11 years, will the film actually still come off cleanly? It did on a 1995 Finest common I tried a few weeks ago.

Or is there anyone that actually sells the 1995 Finest set without the film so I don't have to worry about that in the first place?

XanaduNow · November 1, 2006 3:08AM

They're your cards, do what you'd like with them. You're obviously not purchasing the set as an investment so display them the way you'd like to.

Arthur

mikeschmidt · November 1, 2006 3:08AM

I can't imagine that the collecting community would be up-in-arms either way if you removed the film.

It appears/seems that most collectors keep the coating on, but it doesn't seem to be a deal-breaker either way.

I had heard once in the past that Beckett would grade the quality of the film itself if you submitted the cards to their grading service with the coating on.

All said - you're not breaking the bank if you remove the coating because that is how you like to collect-

m

Estil · November 1, 2006 3:11AM

Well, what about my other question; will the film still come off cleanly, even though it's now 11 years?

Estil · November 1, 2006 3:17AM

<< They're your cards, do what you'd like with them. You're obviously not purchasing the set as an investment so display them the way you'd like to. >>

You're absoultely right, I certainly don't buy any cards for investment purposes; this is very much a buyer's market right now for mid-1990s stuff (especially it being the offseason now) and I intend to take full advantage of it to get stuff from that era that I personally think is the most interesting. I'm also building Fleer and Ultra master sets (1992-95) and I can't believe how surprisingly affordable that project is now considering how hard it would've been to get all those insert cards if you had to do it by ripping open packs. For example, for 1994 Ultra, you would've needed to bust open a MINIMUM of FOUR CASES (Series 1 retail, Series 1 hobby, Series 2 retail, Series 2 hobby) to get all the inserts (especially the four all foil insert sets that were seeded one per carton and the four were each exclusive to the mentioned types of cases), and 1994 Fleer would've needed a case each of 15 card and 21 card packs (there were a few insert sets exclusive to each of those kind of packs also). I mean, they're still the same cards that they were in 1994, right?

Knuckles · November 1, 2006 3:20AM

I say remove the film. Personally I would rather buy a PSA 10 without the film than one with it. The cards just look so much better without it.

- Garret

Stone193 · November 1, 2006 3:27AM

<< I say remove the film. Personally I would rather buy a PSA 10 without the film than one with it. The cards just look so much better without it.

- Garret >>

Couldn't have said it better.

mike

dtsa · November 1, 2006 3:34AM

i just had an emmitt smith refractor graded by psa and it got an 8. I left the coating on but the card is perfect. I am thinking of removing and resubmitting. just my @ cents.

lawnmowerman · November 1, 2006 3:37AM

<< Well, what about my other question; will the film still come off cleanly, even though it's now 11 years? >>

Yes it will. What you have to do is boil a pot of water and hold the cards over it for a minute or so, rotating the card. The steam will assist you in removing the coatings easily. I learned the hard way by trying to pull the coatings without doing this and ruined a few.

lawnmowerman · November 1, 2006 3:40AM

Another thing, the registry (at least for Emmitt) has a spot for cards with and wihtout coatings. So either way is good. If your not doing a set registry I would just yank them off because I would rather look at a nice card without the coating.

matt

XanaduNow · November 1, 2006 3:40AM

Estil, I'll put it to you this way ...

An overwhelming majority of the cards I buy will never return a profit for me down the line. That's fine. I don't buy them to make money. Because of this, I buy most of my stuff raw, cheap and low grade. I fully intend on sending them in to PSA to be graded. Why? Not because I think their value will increase once they're graded but because I love the cards and want to protect them. Having them holdered is the best way and I find that displaying them in the PSA holder adds eye-appeal to them (at least for me) and that is why I do it. Much of what I'll be sending in will come back in the range of PSA 1 - PSA 5, not making them an overnight financial success. But the collecting part of them and the way I like to display them means I have them graded. I find that putting a card you love in a slab gives the card a certain element of dignity a top loader just won't give it. That also means I can handle them and enjoy them without worrying that I'm going to cause them any further damage.

It's a hobby, collect what you want to collect and don't listen to the critics. If you want to trim the borders off because you think they look better that way, do it. Your cards are there for your own enjoyment and no one else's. You always gotta enjoy it. Once you stop enjoying it you might as well stop. Life's too short to waste any time on something you don't enjoy. Just my two cents.

Now peel them suckers.

Arthur

jradke4 · November 1, 2006 4:35AM

I was a huge collector of all cards until 1992. As this happens to be when college started and the influx of multiple sets for each sport from so many compaines started. Maybe I will scope out Ebay for filling in my set runs if the prices are that reasonable. I have nearly all BB/FB/Bkb including inserts and goofy sets (coins etc) from 1979 to 1991.

I had been working on Finest sets here and there. Need to check what I need. I really like the looks to those cards. I have nearly the whole fun of FB, sans 1996 and 2001 complete. Some baseball sets as well. So I better take a look at whats out there.

mccardguy1 · November 1, 2006 6:43AM

estil ....pm sent

lawnmowerman · November 1, 2006 6:50AM

<< i just had an emmitt smith refractor graded by psa and it got an 8. I left the coating on but the card is perfect. I am thinking of removing and resubmitting. just my @ cents. >>

Uh oh, my Emmitt light just started flashing.

dtsa, are you looking to sell it ? I would have pm'd you but your pm is off

matt

EagleEyeKid · November 1, 2006 1:10PM

If grading, definitely remove the peel.
I've seen some Finest slabbed with the coating still on
and the peel was coming off on the corners.
It made the card look nasty.

Estil · November 1, 2006 2:08PM

<< 

<< Well, what about my other question; will the film still come off cleanly, even though it's now 11 years? >>

Yes it will. What you have to do is boil a pot of water and hold the cards over it for a minute or so, rotating the card. The steam will assist you in removing the coatings easily. I learned the hard way by trying to pull the coatings without doing this and ruined a few. >>

Ouch; I'd hate to go through the trouble of buying a 1995 Finest set and either ruin a card from peeling it w/o the boiling water thing or do something stupid like hold it too close and warp it or *gasp* accidentally drop it in the water.

Maybe I should just see if someone puts up a complete peeled set for sale...

Estil · November 1, 2006 2:10PM

<< If you want to trim the borders off because you think they look better that way, do it. Your cards are there for your own enjoyment and no one else's. You always gotta enjoy it. Once you stop enjoying it you might as well stop. Life's too short to waste any time on something you don't enjoy. Just my two cents.

Now peel them suckers. >>

Well, I'm glad y'all don't think I'm crazy at least.

I don't think I'd go as far as trimming any. Trimming is for toenails, not cards.

Estil · November 1, 2006 2:14PM

I'd also love to do the 1996 Finest set, but seeing as how that set books for $1000 (is that right?) I'm probably out of luck, unless I'm willing to settle for a bronze/silver or bronze only set.

The seller also has the eight card 1994 Finest MVP set you get with the 1994 Topps Traded set; that will certainly be very useful in filling in that last page of the 1993 set which has only the Mike Piazza (#199) and eight blank spaces. Can you imagine going through a whole binder full of three years worth of what I consider to be the most beautiful regular (not insert) sets of the 1990s?

lawnmowerman · November 1, 2006 2:25PM

<< Ouch; I'd hate to go through the trouble of buying a 1995 Finest set and either ruin a card from peeling it w/o the boiling water thing or do something stupid like hold it too close and warp it or *gasp* accidentally drop it in the water. Maybe I should just see if someone puts up a complete peeled set for sale >>

Its not that bad. You only have to hold them over it for under minute or so. It just loosens things up and makes it so much easier.

Estil · November 1, 2006 2:29PM

<< 

<< Ouch; I'd hate to go through the trouble of buying a 1995 Finest set and either ruin a card from peeling it w/o the boiling water thing or do something stupid like hold it too close and warp it or *gasp* accidentally drop it in the water. Maybe I should just see if someone puts up a complete peeled set for sale >>

Its not that bad. You only have to hold them over it for under minute or so. It just loosens things up and makes it so much easier. >>

And the steam itself won't damage or warp the cards or anything, right?

GlynRParson · November 2, 2006 12:44AM

No not crazy. Yes, most of the time will come clean some if stored poorly may not.

Estil · November 2, 2006 1:19AM

The seller in question has both sets in boxes with each card in penny sleeves (or is that half cent sleeves; packs of 100 went for 50 cents last time I bought them), so I don't think they were stored poorly. And can someone get out their Beckett and tell me how much the 1994 and 1995 sets book for (so I'll know if I'm getting as good a deal as possible), along with the 1996 Finest set (both the whole set overall, and the complete bronze set, complete silver set, and complete gold set)?

It is very hard lately to find the above sets (especially both with the eight card MVP set from the 1994 Topps Traded), so I really hope I can win all three for a good price from the same seller. While it is great that it's such a buyer's market for pretty much all mid-1990s stuff, that comes at a price (that is, sellers won't bother putting stuff on Ebay unless they think it'll sell well, which makes it that much harder to find what you need). As long as he/she/it remembers to package them good with packing peanuts and such, you can't go wrong with all the cards in good penny sleeves, right?

I'm wanting to get a 1995 Finest set; would I be crazy to remove the film off the cards?

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