Do people freeze old Chrome boxes?

[Deadshot]

I feel like this is a stupid question but I'm going to ask it anyway.

I just purchased a box of 2000-01 Topps Chrome and I'm wondering if I need to know anything specific going in. I've seen people put older boxes in the freezer for like 20 minutes or so to help pry the cards apart and prevent paper damage. I doubt that's an issue for the Chrome, but I wanted to make sure.

Cut me some slack...I'm used to opening stuff like Topps Total :)

[afrobandit]

I’d love to see side by side results of frozen vs. unfrozen.

If you freeze it, please seal it in. a ziploc bag

[Jocel]

Juz a question?
What’s the logic of it being froze? Cards stick coz its glossy and factor is humidity,right? If there is humidity there is high contents of water, isnt it? If freezing water, what would happen next?

Can give me a logic explanation?

Thanks..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Doublexthebeast]

I've tried this before but not with Chrome. I tried it with 99-00 Skybox Premium and 99-00 Skybox Dominion among others. I don't really know the logic behind it but it does help. It mainly helps when they are stuck to each other around the edges of the card. It helps to seperate them. The center is still hard to pull apart though but it does reduce how bad they stick.

I recommend only putting the box in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour. Try a pack then see if it helps. You will have to just do some trial and error.

[tjforce]

Ya know, the logic of Box A I opened and it stuck, Box B that I bought at a different time i put in the freezer and the cards didn't stick doesn't really prove anything.


Really the right thing to do would be split up some packs out of the same box, put half in the freezer, leave half alone.

Open them all and observe if there is a difference between the two.

Anyone want, or in the past have done this?

[Deadshot]

Appreciate all the responses so far. I imagine the humidity where the boxes have been stored adds to the equation as well.

[8collector34]

I am no physics expert, nor I ever tried this method, but here is my theory. Cards are made of atoms that form molecules. These molecules bond together making the cards stuck. When you take the card out of the freezer the cold surface of the card reacts with the water molecules in the air and liquefies them, like condensation on a window. Since the molecules of the card are now bonding with the molecules in the air/water instead of the molecules of the other card, it makes them unstuck. The molecules of a card have the most contact with the air towards the very edge, thus that is where the two cards stuck together gets released first.
Molecules also move faster in hot air and more static in cold air which probably has some effect, but I dont know how. Maybe because pressure and temperature are directly proportionate, so the colder there is, the less pressure there is.
I also dont know what effect does this have on the greening of Chrome cards. Hopefully we will fully understand one day.

[Stifle]

8Collector34, why didn't you just say that freezing weather has low humidity compared to heat ? Take the humidity out of a card by freezing it for a short time. Makes sense.
Humidifiers are utilized in the winter to add liquid in colder weather and de-humidifiers are utilized in the summer to take the liquid out.
Mountains peaks are where people become extremely dehydrated - another quick analogy.

[CastleBeachCards]

No one has mentioned the magical freezer gnome that only awakens when you put a box of sports cards (from yesteryear) in there for an hour or so and leave it alone.
Depending on how lazy he is feeling he will use his powers to unstick the cards........but usually only to a certain degree (not talking temperature here)
He prefers paper stock with gloss, but if feeling generous (and depending on the food in the freezer for him to snack on)He MAY also unstick Chrome cards as well

[8collector34]

8Collector34, why didn't you just say that freezing weather has low humidity compared to heat ? Take the humidity out of a card by freezing it for a short time. Makes sense.
Humidifiers are utilized in the winter to add liquid in colder weather and de-humidifiers are utilized in the summer to take the liquid out.
Mountains peaks are where people become extremely dehydrated - another quick analogy.

English is my second language, but I think we are not talking about the same thing.

[BigZigBoom]

I put a box of 90s Flair in the microwave. They all came out Shawn Kemp, so I sent it to Abra.

[tjforce]

I put a box of 90s Flair in the microwave. They all came out Shawn Kemp, so I sent it to Abra.

That's funny, I once put a box of Pepperoni Hot Pockets in my microwave and Shawn Kemp came over my house to eat them.

This was late in his Cleveland Cavs days, of course.

[Stifle]

8Collector34 - You did great my friend ! With your terminology I figured you were going scientific on us. Very well done !

[Deadshot]

All interesting responses. Don't think there's much of value in this box anyway...just hoping to score some NBA Finals stuff!

[AbraCalabro]

I put a box of 90s Flair in the microwave. They all came out Shawn Kemp, so I sent it to Abra.

:D LMAO

That's funny, I once put a box of Pepperoni Hot Pockets in my microwave and Shawn Kemp came over my house to eat them.

This was late in his Cleveland Cavs days, of course.

I'll be picking up some of Pepperoni Hot Pockets the next time I'm grocery shopping...it could still work...right? I think if I create cardboard cutouts of Alton Lister, or Dikembe Mutombo and prop them up in front of a backboard it may also help increase the chances of success.

[jbarnett83]

I've tried this before but not with Chrome. I tried it with 99-00 Skybox Premium and 99-00 Skybox Dominion among others. I don't really know the logic behind it but it does help. It mainly helps when they are stuck to each other around the edges of the card. It helps to seperate them. The center is still hard to pull apart though but it does reduce how bad they stick.

I recommend only putting the box in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour. Try a pack then see if it helps. You will have to just do some trial and error.

This, I usually throw them in for about 30-60min. I've done this with 90s chrome without a problem but not sure if it would've made a difference. Like others have said I would be interested to see a box with half the packs frozen

[Deadshot]

Looks like I might have to try half and half just for kicks. It was a pretty cheap box anyway...

[Harper]

Looks like I might have to try half and half just for kicks. It was a pretty cheap box anyway...

Open the frozen first. If all those are clean and the first 2 unfrozen packs are sticking, put the rest in the freezer. I’m not a stats guy, but I would imagine this would suffice to prove statistical significance...

Edit:
Yep according to fisher exact test, this does create p < 0.05

http://www.socscistatistics.com/tests/fisher/Default2.aspx

You could do 12unfrozen and 12frozen if some sticking is seen in the frozen. If you have sampling zeros (any cell in the 2x2 cell is a zero) you use fisher exact, but if no zeros you can also run chi square test.

[Deadshot]

Open the frozen first. If all those are clean and the first 2 unfrozen packs are sticking, put the rest in the freezer. I’m not a stats guy, but I would imagine this would suffice to prove statistical significance...

That's a good idea! Did you ever open any of this product while you were on the hunt for the regular Harper jersey?

[Harper]

That's a good idea! Did you ever open any of this product while you were on the hunt for the regular Harper jersey?

I watched it a lot, saved ebay searches to watchlist, etc. I don’t think base final piece set was in it, just chrome and refractor. I thought about it when I needed refractor but they are /10 and my odds were just so bad at landing that card I never pulled the trigger.

Also if you want to end the debate, above I added a link to any easy stats test to determine statistical significance bc.... I’m a nerd apparently

[RogerGodahell]

They taste better frozen. Cardsicles

[hermanotarjeta]

Does freezing work for high gloss cardboard cards like skybox or ultra?