Opening a pack sounds like the easiest part of collecting. Sometimes it is the first place where something can go wrong.
Everybody talks about PSA 10s, corners, centering, surface condition and grading. But before a card ever reaches PSA, somebody has to get it out of the pack without adding a new problem.
Sticker Packs Are Not Trading Card Packs
I noticed this again while opening Panini FIFA World Cup 2026 sticker packs.
Sticker packs feel different from trading card packs. The stickers are thinner and more flexible. They can bend more easily, and the surface can pick up marks if the stack rubs against the inside of the wrapper.
With these packs, I do not like ripping them open too aggressively. I try to open the wrapper wide enough that the stickers can slide out without pressure on the corners or surface. If there is a Lamine Yamal sticker, a Mbappé reflector or one of the inserts inside, I do not want the first damage to happen because I pulled the pack apart too quickly.
The sticker may already have a factory issue. Bad centering, a small mark, a soft edge. Nothing I can do about that. I just do not want the extra damage to come from my hands.
Scissors Can Make Sense
With trading cards, ripping the pack open is normal. I do it too.But there are products where scissors make more sense. Cut the top carefully, stay away from the cards, open the wrapper slowly and remove the stack without dragging corners across foil or plastic.
It feels a bit too careful until you think about grading. A PSA 9 can hurt the value badly compared to a PSA 10. Not every time, but often enough that the way a card leaves the pack matters. Especially with chrome cards, foil packs or cards where surface condition is part of the whole game.
Before The Penny Sleeve
Once I decide a card might be worth grading, I usually put it into a penny sleeve first and then into a semi-rigid holder for submission.
But that is already the second step.
If the card catches a corner while leaving the pack, or if the surface rubs against the wrapper, the penny sleeve only protects the problem that is already there.
That is why the pack opening matters more than it looks.
You Cannot Fix Factory Issues
Careful opening does not create a PSA 10. If the card comes out with bad centering, print lines, a surface dimple, factory scratches or soft corners, the pack-opening method will not save it. Modern cards and stickers can already be flawed before the collector ever sees them. That is annoying enough. I do not want to add another issue during the one part I can actually control.
How I Open Them
For stickers, I try to open the wrapper wide and let the stack come out without bending the pack around it. For trading cards, I either open carefully from the top or use scissors if the wrapper feels tight. I keep the cut away from the cards and remove the stack slowly. Not every card needs grading. Most cards do not. But the ones that might matter should at least get out of the pack cleanly.
