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How to Treat Glossy Cards for an Autograph

You run to the mailbox and find your favorite player has returned the card you sent to him to autograph. You open it. The ink from the permanent marker is smudged. It happens to glossy-coated baseball cards, but it doesn't have to. Treat the glossy cards before you ship them out; you and the player both will be happy: "When I see this card I cringe because there is a lot of gloss on every card and they are very tough to sign," said major-league pitcher Pat Neshek of one of the cards he's frequently asked to autograph.

Things You'll Need

Baby powder
White eraser

Instructions

- 1
  Sprinkle baby powder on your finger and rub it on the card. Wipe the powder off with a clean, soft cloth. You will not see the powder, but it will have done its job of removing the gloss.
- 2
  Rub the card gently with an eraser. Use a high-quality white eraser and drag it over the card in rows, from side to side. Don't lift the eraser or stop the erasing motion until you have rubbed the entire card. This is an alternate method; you don't need to use both the powder and eraser.
- 3
  Shake the card to remove any leftover baby powder or eraser remnants.

Sports Cards Collecting