Using my modeling skills to rescue a card

Had something happen Sunday morning that hopefully won't ever happen again, but at least if it does I have a pretty good idea how to fix it.

As I've mentioned numerous times in the past, after I scan a card, I put it into the plastic cases that I use, until they get filled and then I type them into my Excel charts. Well, yesterday, I was finally able to get the cards from my big COMC order into the cases, but I wasn't paying too much attention and missed that it was cut larger than normal.

It got stuck.

I couldn't get it out no matter what I tried, and I could see that it was getting damaged already. What to do?

I got out my razor saw- visible in the photos- and started cutting, also visible in the photos, as I didn't think to take it until the first cut had been done.

I ended up rescuing the cards- I had to make two cuts with my razor saw and I also brought out my cutting pliers to both cut and act as a bludgeon.

This is the aftermath:

That case won't be holding any cards anytime soon. I'm going to bring the remains to the next model club meeting and see if anybody wants thick clear plastic, and also the edge where it shattered resembles cracked ice- one of the diorama builders may want it. If not, I'll be taking what I want- the two plastic balls that hold on the lid are perfectly in scale for old school trailer hitches, once I paint them silver- and tossing the rest. It's too sharp to keep around.

I had been considering switching away from this style case for a while, and instead using the large square two-part cases. they are slightly larger overall but hold about 4 less cards- but the interior dimensions are significantly larger width-wise and laterally, which is all I really care about right now.

You can see that inside this case the cards have much more room- no squeezing or bending to worry about.

You can see how much more space is in here.

Unfortunately the Jeryl Sasser card DID take damage on all four corners. Luckily, the Elton Brand refractor that went into the case right before it was unharmed. Also luckily the 2001-02 Topps Chrome cards are pretty malleable- I fully expect that the edge damage will not show up anywhere near as badly once it's been in a box for a few years.

Still stinks that it happened, and could have been prevented had I been paying more attention.

My problem for the larger square cases, is that I am not sure where to get them. I don't think my local shop carries them, but I'm not totally sure- they totally restructured the interior of the store recently and I have not found everything yet. I was actually headed out there Sunday but didn't get there- the plan was to hit it after the car show I went to with my brother but the heat and humidity were too high and I couldn't handle any more. Also, I'm trying not to spend any money that I don't absolutely have to spend this month, and I don't absolutely need them right now.

When  I do convert to them, I will have to come up with both a purpose and a location to store the flip-top cases I've been using. I am pretty sure my undersize cards will be in them but I don't have enough of them to fill 36 of them, which is the number I have. (Well, 35 now.) I probably only have enough minis and smaller cards to fill 6 or 7 of them, and I'm going to have more than 30! There's a very good chance they will be repurposed as display cases for some of my smaller model builds.

In retrospect, I should have closed my paper listing before I started cutting- got plastic chunks all over the listing. I kind of panicked when the cards got stuck and didn't think about it.