How to Fix Baseball Card Corners
The Highlights
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For most collectors, every baseball card represents something so much more than the player and team it honors. Unfortunately, you could go out of your way to preserve your favorite sports cards and still end up with a creased, bowed, or otherwise damaged card corner, especially as your collection ages.
That’s why knowing how to fix corners on sports cards is so incredibly important. Get the tips you need with this Giant Sports Cards blog!
How to Fix Baseball Card Corners: The Basics
Before we dive into the various ways you can fix baseball card corners, it’s worth pointing out that these tricks will only work in select cases. Significantly damaged cards might need professional repair work.
- Soft bends occur through routine handling and can be easily mended.
- Deep creases occur when the paper fibers break down (usually when the card is folded).
- Rounded corners come about from repeated friction, typically when the card isn’t stored with proper sports card supplies, like card sleeves.
Fixing Soft Bends on Sports Card Corners
This form of corner damage is undeniably the easiest to fix, and it’s also the most common. If you’re holding on to that Mike Trout rookie card and don’t know how to fix baseball card corners, don’t write it off just yet!
- Place your baseball card in a clean sleeve. The moisture introduced here will relax the fibers enough to make it easier to reshape the card.
- Take the card out. Place a heavy book on the affected corner for about 30 minutes.
- Remove the book and place your card back in the sleeve. You should be good to go!
Fixing Deep Creases and Other Forms of Damage
Learning how to fix corners on sports cards also means recognizing cases where DIY methods typically don’t do the trick. Whether you’re working with a new Topps sports card or vintage Panini cards, deep creases signal that the fibers in the corner have been completely torn.
Figuring out how to fix baseball card corners in these cases typically entails a total corner replacement, where the impacted corner is cut off and replaced by a corner from a different card.
If you’re attempting this at home, we recommend cutting a tapered notch out of the affected corner instead of cutting in straight lines. This looks more natural, especially if you can source a card of a similar vintage for the replacement.
To Restore or Not To Restore?
If you’re familiar with vintage sports cards, you’ve probably already asked yourself whether it’s worth attempting a restoration in the first place. Even if you know how to fix baseball card corners, you should proceed carefully when starting a restoration.
Services like PSA typically refuse to grade ‘tampered’ cards with trimmed or replaced corners. A baseball card that retains its original corner and has merely been flattened with a book, on the other hand, is acceptable for PSA grading.
That said, some collectors may even prefer restored cards and be willing to pay a premium for them.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How to fix a baseball card corner?
If you’re dealing with a slightly bent, soft corner, you can fix it by pressing down on the corner with a heavy object. Baseball card corners with deep fiber damage may require replacement corners.
Does repairing a baseball card lower its value?
In some cases, no. Repairing a baseball card by simply applying pressure (such as pressing it with a book) shouldn’t impact its value, but replacing a corner entirely could render your card ineligible for professional grading.
Can you fix a crease in a baseball card?
Absolutely. Light creases can be fixed by softening the card with a sleeve and applying gentle pressure. This method should only take about 30 minutes, too.