It drives me crazy when people on YouTube mishandle relic cards. Relic cards, for those of you who don’t know, are thick baseball cards that contain usually part of a player’s jersey, bat, hat, glove, or ball. Here is what you should do if you pull a relic from a pack of cards:

1. Don’t touch the relic. Touching the relic could stain it. Your hands contain oils, and touching the relic could damage it. Touching it can also include the sides. As usual wear and tear on the sides brings down the value of the card.
2. Put the relic in a penny sleeve. Doing this will protect the card from fading and wear and tear.
3. DO NOT FORCE THE RELIC INTO A TOPLOADER. The relic most likely won’t fit. Trying to force it into a toploader will cause damage to it.

In recent years, Topps and other baseball card companies have been inserting on card autographs in their packs. This means the player signs on the card. Some people do not know how to case them. Here is how to properly case an auto-card.

1. Do not touch the corners! This can cause damage!
2. Carefully insert the card into a penny sleeve. A penny sleeve is a thin piece of plastic that prevents the cards from getting nicked up.
3. Put the penny sleeved card into a toploader. A toploader is a hard piece of plastic that protects the card from acids and fading.