Card Searching Retail

          What is "CARD SEARCHING"? Card Searching is the hobby/art/sport of searching through packs of cards at a retail location and being able to decipher which packs have what cards in them without opening them. There are very many techniques and strategies to doing this and it is an ever changing process. Every Card Manufacturer and every card set do things a little differently. I still consider myself a beginner at this and I am always trying to hone my craft.
          The first and easiest method I learned to card search is the "FLEX" test. This is a very easy way to find memorabilia cards. Just gently grab the pack from both ends and give the middle of the pack a soft flex. Packs containing a memorabilia card will not flex at all. It's just that easy! Some card manufactures do put in "DUMMY CARDS" to make the pack stiff; so you do have to make yourself aware of that. Panini usually uses a lot of dummy cards and even Topps uses some ordinary foam-core cards to throw you off. Always expect the unexpected.
         So just using the Flex test alone isn't the optimal idea. Once the packs pass the Flex test and are stiff as a brick. You could use the "FAN" method and fan the cards out in the packs and try to get a glimpse of any marking on the thicker card. Dummy cards are usually completely white. So if you see any graphics are lettering at all; there is a very good chance you have a pack containing a memorabilia card of some type. Unlike the Flex test, Fanning requires a little skill and can be used to uncover all types of parallel bordered cards not just memorabilia cards. It is still fairly simple, you just want to spread out the cards in the pack in a manner in which you can see a little bit of the edge of each card. Usually you want to fan them out in a spot of the packaging that is see through.
               Taking things a step further, once you have a card singled out in the Fan, you can use the "SLIDE" maneuver to see more of the card in question. This requires a lot of practice and is a lot easier in loose packaging. Basically you separate the card in question by holding it in place and slide the obstructing cards as far down the package as possible. Leaving as much of the card visible as allowed. A good card searcher usually knows what card they have hit.  
            Another method commonly used is the "SWIPE". This is a great technique for finding autographs. I personally have never found a card this way. You must have very sensitive fingers. You place the pack on a firm surface and run your fingers across the top of the pack. You should feel a bump of the sticker that the autograph is on if there is one in the pack. 
            The best trick of them all is bringing a small pocket scale and weighing everything you can get your hands on. If something weighs too much or too little, it could be a sign of something good. Almost anything weighing an obscene amount more is going to be something significant! It is a trial and error process and can be as rewarding as it is regretful. But just like anything in life, the more you do it the better you will become. 

A Great Website Forum for Card Searching is PackSearchers.com 

And I use SportsCardRadio.com for Card Set Release Dates 

Here are some of my Greatest Hits from my first year of Card Searching. 

I will be posting my current Hits and how I found them as the sets are released.