Protecting the returning card
 

Do you guys use anything to protect the signature upon return? I just received my first one back, ever, and the ink rubbed off a bit from the mailing process.
Is it too much to send the card in a penny sleeve and hope they take it out before they sign it? I don't see guys being that absent minded but they are busy so I could see that happening. Either that or not putting it back in the sleeve once signed.

Thoughts?

ive heard stories of the penny sleeve being signed.

I never use any protection for my cards I send, and I don't think I have ever had anything damaged, but a few have smudged. theres not really much to do to prevent it, even if you send it in a penny sleeve and they do take it out, theres a pretty good chance theyre gonna stick it right back in. which would probably make it smudge anyways.

I'm sure if you sent to Pat Neshek or Brad Zeigler in a sleeve/toploader, they'd know what to do. Other players might either sign the sleeve or not sign at all.

Phil Nevin signed my penny sleeve one time.

Jeremy Giambi didn't sign my card...

I found the most effective way to make sure the player doesn't smudge the card is to mention it in the letter toward the end....

Before, I'd say maybe 5-10 of my cards have been smudged and zero since I've done this.

Here's what I add to every letter I've sent. I've yet to receive a smudged card back from it.

"p.s. If it's not too much trouble, after signing my card, could you wait a few moments for everything to dry before putting it back in the plastic case? They have a bad tendency to smear autographs otherwise! Thanks again!"

I think the biggest pain for me now is the player signing the card and throwing away the top loader or not putting the card back in it. I've had some slight bends and ruined corners from that. It's annoying.

Duke Snider signed the penny sleeve once when i sent to him. For the most part i do not use anything to protect the cards, I have had once or twice a soft corner come back but nothing too bad and once have had cards get ruined from them getting wet someplace after they had been signed, but even a penny sleeve would not have saved them.

I don't use protection.

I never use protection anymore. There becomes a point in a mans life when the threat is no longer there and he is comfortable putting it in with no protection.

I've never used protection either. However, if I had known they only cost a penny I might have thought twice about it.

Thanks for the answers guys.

Simple method I use - put two blank index cards in the return envelope. Players never take them out and they seem to add some protection against the USPS machines.

Thicker cards get ruined in the USPS machines -- Wade Boggs signed 4 cards for me and the only one damaged on return was a Topps Triple Threads base card that had 'roller' marks on it from the postal processing machines.

Today I even received a '13 Heritage of Lonnie Chisenhall with a card corner that pierced the envelope -- all I have to say is the thicker Heritage stock held up and the card corner was only slightly dinged. Amazing.