What are the best ways to open a Sealed deck?

[OVSUB]

I just love custom seals on decks but I want to open my cards without destroying or removing the seal. How do I open a deck with out making the seal fugly?

[RelativityCards]

I don't have a good answer for this. I'm generally against seals on decks for this exact reason. They're (sometimes) really cool and you have to trash them

I will say that I haaaaaate seals that aren't made of paper. I just don't like having to bust out a knife I guess, but that kind of seal is easier to peel off and preserve, so...

[Harvonsgard]

Without destroying or removing? Well then you have to open the tuck at the bottom .
I know that hsbc peels them off. So that they aren't destroyed but then it's removed. I personally cut seals with a sharp knife. That is the best method for me to keep the seal on the box.
I saw some folks peel it off half so that the flap can be opened and then stick it completely on the flap. If the tuck is closed the bottom half of the seal isn't visible then but you keep the whole seal on the tuck. Maybe that is the option that is closest to not destroy nor remove.
But peeling is kinds tricky especially on matte stock tuck boxes. Hot air is your best ally here and patience.

[OVSUB]

Thanks for the replies guys, I'll try them out.

[MagikFingerz]

Here's what I do:

- Cut straight across the seal
- Press the top part down so it's completely glued on
- Fold the bottom part onto itself (where the cut-out is) covering as much of the sticky surface as possible, this makes it slightly convex - creating some space for your finger to grip the deck when taking it out.

It's probably doesn't create the most aesthetic result, but functionally it works very well IMO.

[RelativityCards]

I just remembered that I've seen someone who peels the seals off and then sticks them to the tuck case, usually near one of the lower corners of the back. Not for me, but if you're keen on preserving the seal and it doesn't bother you to stick it somewhere else on the case...

[STLBluesNut]

In the past, I have cut the seal following the usually half moon shape of the tuck back. Recently, the past month, I have been carefully removing the entire seal and sticking them into a little notebook writing which deck they came from below it. That was not my idea, someone else posted here quite some time ago that they did that.

I start by carefully lifting a portion of the seal with a razor blade. Then using my fingers or continuing with the blade peeling the rest of the seal off. Depending one the seal and tuck, it may pull off some foiling or leave behind. Sticky residue.

I much prefer no seal at all. I think they are an unneeded expense. In many cases they cover art and design on the tuck. Neither cutting them nor removing them give the best results aesthetically in my opinion.

Sent from my S10+ using Tapatalk

[robcan0630]

I use an xacto knife to cut along the half moon shape as well so that when it’s closed, it looks as close to original as possible.

[Adonael]

I just slice and dice because I still want them on and part of the deck, when I first started collecting it was just with my pocket knife which resulted in rough and frayed edges along the cut. I really like the more recent seals with the perforation to follow, but would prefer to start to see a trend of integrating them in other places on the tuck, like Room17. I just replaced the xacto knife I've been using (which was useless and could hardly hold the blade tight) with a scalpel, couldn't be happier with the change! By recommendation to me for hobby work, Swann Morton no.4 handle with no.25A blades.

[flashcards]

STLBluesNut: Recently, the past month, I have been carefully removing the entire seal and sticking them into a little notebook writing which deck they came from below it. That was not my idea, someone else posted here quite some time ago that they did that.

I start by carefully lifting a portion of the seal with a razor blade. Then using my fingers or continuing with the blade peeling the rest of the seal off. Depending one the seal and tuck, it may pull off some foiling or leave behind. Sticky residue.

I much prefer no seal at all. I think they are an unneeded expense. In many cases they cover art and design on the tuck. Neither cutting them nor removing them give the best results aesthetically in my opinion.

That would be me. I paste them on a 3x5 note card and press them in a book (Expert at the Card Table). I may try to put them in sleeves in a binder or something in the future.

I used to start lifting the seals with a fingernail but noticed it sometimes would scratch the tuck box. I'm going to start using an Exacto knife to get them started from now on. Using some Goo-Off will remove the left over glue without damaging the tuck (usually. YMMV).

I really hate seals. There are many decks that I put off opening just because I don't feel like carefully removing the seal, re-gluing it to a card, noting the deck, placing it in the book, remove the excess glue. Even standard Bikes are a pain to remove although I don't keep those (if you have one black ace seal, you have them all). I'm a big fan of putting the seals on the bottom of the tuck or not at all.

[hsbc]

Recently, the past month, I have been carefully removing the entire seal and sticking them into a little notebook writing which deck they came from below it. That was not my idea, someone else posted here quite some time ago that they did that.

Yessss one of us I have a 'stickers' notebook but a large portion of the pages end up with deck seals

But peeling is kinds tricky especially on matte stock tuck boxes.

Matte tucks are much easier than glossy! And if the tuck is made of premium paper with a texture, usually the seal will very easily come off and leave very little residue Whenever I get a sealed glossy tuck (looking at Bicycle decks here ) I dread opening it because I'll end up spending 10-15 minutes rubbing the residue off of the tuck after peeling the seal off

Old decks are even worse - I have a 1996 Olympics deck that I haven't opened yet because I wouldn't be surprised if the seal completely separated into two layers when I try to pull it off [MURRAY] [MURRAY]

That would be me. I paste them on a 3x5 note card and press them in a book (Expert at the Card Table). I may try to put them in sleeves in a binder or something in the future. .... Using some Goo-Off will remove the left over glue without damaging the tuck (usually. YMMV)

Show us the notecards And using a product doesn't discolor the paper?? [MURRAY]

[robcan0630]

I just replaced the xacto knife I've been using (which was useless and could hardly hold the blade tight) with a scalpel, couldn't be happier with the change! By recommendation to me for hobby work, Swann Morton no.4 handle with no.25A blades.

Thanks for the details. I use an xacto knife for some hobby stuff myself, and I’ll check out the scalpel idea.

[macstrat]

I use a bird beak kitchen knive....prolly overkill....

[Fes]

The claws on me paws! Thems what I use for a paper stamp seal. Best way, bar none. Well, unless I just trimmed the things up right an tight and me paws are looking oh so fine. In which case I break out the ole pocket knife and get to butchering some stamp seal meat. Mind you this be for Paper stamp seals.

Although I'd prefer they just not use those wretched plastic shiny shine nonsense stamp seals. I usually just head out to the shop. Tool for the job all that what. Fixes um, but good.

[laitostarr777]

I just love custom seals on decks but I want to open my cards without destroying or removing the seal. How do I open a deck with out making the seal fugly?

First of all, I am assuming you know how to open the deck of playing cards while retaining their cellophane of the deck itself. If you do, it proofs to be quite useful. Not only that it helps protect the tuckbox, it also creates a pocket for magicians to store cards (especially gaff cards). But still, you need to protect your decks carefully, especially if they are already opened.

But anyways, here are methods of opening the seals of playing cards without destroying them:

• The very common method is with a hobby knife. Yes, the sharp and precised hobby knife. Carefully use the blade to peel it off, slowly lift up a bit of a portion of the seal, then use your fingers to slowly peel it off. Been doing this method for long I've collected playing cards. But you have to be very careful, as one wrong move and you might end up creating cut marks on your deck.
• Using hairdryer to generate hot air to slowly peel off the seal with heat. Although I think this method is quite risky as you might end up heating the cards as well. I never tried this method before and don't know if it's gotta work or not.

So, once you got the seal off, where you gotta placed them?

• On the flap - this is simply where you just peeled off half portion of the seal, enough for you to opened the deck, then stick it back onto the flap. This would be alright if there are no specific designs on the flap, or if the flap have that "boring" trademark descriptions.
• Inside the tuckbox - Carefully put the seal inside the tuckbox: take the cards out and pasted it inside, generally you want it to be as close to the opening. In this method, you will hardly see the seal, which you have to shine the light inside to see it AND it just breaks the inner printing of the tuckbox (if any).
• Cellophane - If you opened your playing cards and retaining the cellophane of it, that's good - you can place it there and you continue to keep seeing that seal, and won't have to worry.
• Somewhere else - You may repurpose the playing cards seal as decorative stickers to your personal items, or pasted them in a scrapbook meant to house all your playing cards seal.

Opened decks

This is three of my playing cards that I have opened. Bicycle Ghost, which i teared it open with the knife [which now I regret of not trying to rescue the seal, now that Bicycle Ghost is discontinued] - NOC on Wood, which the label is pasted on the flap - Derren Brown deck, which the seal is pasted on the cellophane.

[House of Cardistry]

Here's what I do:

- Cut straight across the seal
- Press the top part down so it's completely glued on
- Fold the bottom part onto itself (where the cut-out is) covering as much of the sticky surface as possible, this makes it slightly convex - creating some space for your finger to grip the deck when taking it out.

It's probably doesn't create the most aesthetic result, but functionally it works very well IMO.

This is exactly what I do also. Buying at least two decks of everything makes me feel a little better about breaking seals... “One for play, one for display” I say...