How do you open your boxes?

[Guest]

[beckham1]

Just curious how people open their boxes.

I personally take out 4 packs at a time, open each on the seem.  Place all the cards in a stack, then shuffle through them only looking for foils or memorabilia cards.  All commons go into a pile and when I am done I sort out a base set and look at the base cards.

I probably open faster than most, probably takes me about 5 minutes to open a box. An hour for a case.

[kbmum]

I cut the top off of each pack, stack them up the way they were packed, then open each down the seam.  I try to go slow and look at the cards as I go.  This time, I'll follow Anna's advice about sorting the base cards in piles of 10 as I open each pack.

I'm getting only three boxes, so I don't want to whiz through them too quickly!

[Trey]

I open a pack at a time, ripping them down the seam, but not being too hard with it cause you dont want to bend them. It is so fun ripping them open, a little bit boring cutting them i reckon! I then go through the contents of each pack to see if there are any special inserts, if there are, i shout a little or scream depending on what card it is. I put foils in one pile and base cards in another. At the end I sought out the foils first to see how many sets I got, then I go for the base sets, sorting them into groups of 10, and then onwards from there...

oh wow, I have a system and I have only opened 8 boxes in my life. To quench the thirst while waiting for SS boxes I have ordered 2 boxes of Battlefield Earth which I will hopefully get tomorrow, im praying for an auto but since they are so rare I will just be enjoying the opening of packs.

[Tea_and_Fruit]

I open the packs the same way like Beckham do

[beckham1]

I guess the thrill just isn't in the base cards for me, if I got 3 cases I would have to open them all before I went to bed, I just wouldn't be able to sleep knowing they are there.

I don't think I could hold on to boxes as I would open them as soon as I found myself bored.

[Trey]

if I got 3 cases I would have to open them all before I went to bed, I just wouldn't be able to sleep knowing they are there.

Exactly, I couldnt leave them either, I would HAVE to open them straight away! 

[ferdinand_the_yak]

Meeeee too... I would be up til 3am opening if need be

I cut the tops of the packs as I don't want to damage the cards inside by accidentally ripping the seam too hard. I alternate between two methods - peering in the top and seeing whether there is a thick chase card/prop then pull the cards out to scan for the thinner chase cards is one. I also pull all the cards out without looking at the edges and then sort through each one slowly Thats how I found my last great card (TT Merry).

[mcgonagall]

i open the packets from the top and then i sort the base set and chase set as i go so when i am finished i have everything sorted and ready to put away

[Tower]

Many good suggestions, thanks. I should take one of these. Let's see what i prefer. 

[Sharon]

I get a bit obsessed about having perfect packs to put in the binders   So me and big brother have a box between us and each go down one side.  I take all my packs out and try to decide which is the thickest or which looks like it has an autograph  (yes I know you can't see an auto this way but it is fun trying)

Then I carefully ease the top apart and slide out the cards.  Once I have about 10 really good packs it is a free for all rip roaring tear fest 

[Morningangel-Iola]

I'm not sure someone hand me a box and I'll see 

[rns91294]

I cut the top of carefully with scissors and then carefully slide out the cards.  I then look at the front, flip the card over and see the number, and then sort it in piles (1-10, 11-20, 21-30) and so on.  This makes opening a box take a very long time,  And with the first box, my husband and I will actually take turns reading the backs of the cards, which could take up to an hour or more to open one box!!!

[sketchqueen]

I use a kitchen knife to cut the seal, if any, then rip the lid off For the packs, I use my teeth or sharp nails, if I happen to have them, toss the wrappers and pile all the base cards into a tower. I do separate out the chase, and anything like auto, costume/prop or SKETCH I gently place to the side Once I'm done I sort the base cards and make sets.

Cheap and dirty - mind you, I also generally have the help of my son and husband and each one does it differently.

[Morningangel-Iola]

Oh no I have just cut my nails, eek . Oh well they have time to grow before me SS come 

[allender]

I sit in a chair in the TV room when I do it, so my method depends a lot on the size of my lap and the space on the end table.

I pull out 8 packs at a time, using scissors to slit the foil across the backs of the packs. Then I extract all of the cards from those 8 packs and put them in a pile. Once I'm finished with the box, I sort cards by groups of numbers 01-29, 30-59, and 60-up plus chase. Then I sort the groups, like 30-59 into 30s, 40s, and 50s. Notice that it's in groups of three, so I can manage the sub-piles without messing my stacks.

I like to take my time and enter all of the results in my "database" one box at a time, so that I can keep track of base-card collation. So I won't usually be the first to report in with case-breakdown results.

[beckham1]

If I put them in stacks on my coffee table they would be knocked over in about 30 seconds as my cat would jump on the table and make a mess.  She likes to lay in the trash can when I am opening packs to try to catch every wrapper and advert that I throw in during opening. 

For those that have opened SS so far, does it have those annoying adverts packed in every pack.  I hate those things.

[Sharon]

For those that have opened SS so far, does it have those annoying adverts packed in every pack.  I hate those things.

I know what you mean.  The first pack you see it in you think you have some amazing, variant card.  After the 50th one you find they are just so much waste paper 

I did have to laugh when I read all this thread together.  If a psyciatrist or someone read the Yak Shack what do you think they would make of this 

[Anna]

For those that have opened SS so far, does it have those annoying adverts packed in every pack.  I hate those things.

There are no ads in these packs!   Hurray!

[Roz]

Woo hoo!

I can understand putting them in retail packs, but hobby is just plain annoying!

[LikORish-Spider]

I'm not sure someone hand me a box and I'll see 

I see the OWL in the Tootsie Pops commercial.... How many licks to get to the center, One..Two.... Crunch Threeee.