tremoloman2006 Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I searched the site and didn't find any threads on this issue so I thought I'd start one. If I missed a previous thread on this I apologize. Different types of stickers require different types of techniques. Below are a few tricks I've had success with in removing pesky stickers. I *HIGHLY* recommend practicing on a crappy old box you do not care about before attempting this on a valuable one. And remember... USE THESE TIPS AT YOUR OWN RISK! For old dried up stickers, spray them with Lemon Pledge and sit for a bit. Perform this a few times and the sticker will become soft and fairly easy to remove using a fingernail or razor knife without ruining the box. Use a hair dryer to heat the sticker up. The heat makes the sticker soft and mushy if the sticky part hasn't completely dried up. I managed to take a bunch of stickers off some valuable boxes this way just last night. Use a small amount of WD-40 to remove any leftover sticker goo. WD-40 eats it right up and will not stain the box if you do it with a minimal amount and quickly. I spray a little WD-40 on a Q-Tip, apply it, then use either the other end of the Q-Tip or a paper towel to remove the goo. Here's a before and after shot from some boxes I did last night (see below). Now let's hear some of your suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Franzman Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I would substitute Goo Gone (NOT Goof Off!) or De-Solv-It for the WD-40, as they work about as well but dry more quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recompile Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Cubesmith.com sells a plastic razor blade, which I've found very useful. (Best 75 cents I've ever spent!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horseboy Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 (edited) Hey, I bid on that auction. You mention valuable boxes and I noticed that lot went pretty high. What exactly is valuable in there? Just wondering. edit... just noticed they were gatefold boxes. Carry on. Edited July 11, 2008 by horseboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayhem Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Yeah, I've used Goo Gone with great success on stubborn stickers attached to the front of official boxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I generally like leaving the price stickers on... adds a bit of more of the '80s aura, in my mind. But, thanks for the tips just the same! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRGilbert Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Maybe it's just me (and I'm not really a box collector) but I kinda like having vintage price stickers on the boxes. It's neat having a historical record of the pricing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the 5th ghost Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Here's a before and after shot from some boxes I did last night (see below). Now let's hear some of your suggestions! Great job! Those early gatefolds also have the benefit of a glossy surface that helps in the removal process. I also use Goo Gone and have had plenty of success, but in some cases, I leave the original price sticker. Especially those ones on the original Pong units and heavy sixers. Those items were EXPENSIVE back in the day! I think it's cool to preseve those records of what things originally sold for. For example, I have a boxed Sears Heavy Sixer with the original Sears price tag of $169.99. Also, I have the 1975 boxed Sears Pong with the original price tag of $99.95! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRGilbert Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 For example, I have a boxed Sears Heavy Sixer with the original Sears price tag of $169.99.Jeez, that's like over $500 in today's money. And people think the PS3 is expensive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trade-N-Games Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 This is an old post of mine for removing a sticker of a box. old post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 (edited) Leave them on. Removing them removes a piece of history. Although those look like they were in poor shape. Edited July 12, 2008 by Christophero Sly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tremoloman2006 Posted July 12, 2008 Author Share Posted July 12, 2008 If the price tags were fully intact I may have left them on. However, the owner previously tried to remove the stickers and all that was left was a white rectangle which didn't do much but piss me off. I do agree leaving the tags on sometimes is cool to see what they cost 'back in the day'. Horseboy: The reason these went high were becuase most were gatefold boxes, but more importantly it had BASIC MATH which is a very rare box. You do not want to know what I was willing to bid for that box! Sorry I got it from you. Were there any boxes in particular you needed from that lot? I have a few dupes I may be able to help you out with. Drop me an IM and we'll talk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tremoloman2006 Posted July 12, 2008 Author Share Posted July 12, 2008 Cubesmith.com sells a plastic razor blade, which I've found very useful. (Best 75 cents I've ever spent!) Cool! Thanks for that link Recompile! I'm ordering a few of those puppies! This is an old post of mine for removing a sticker of a box. old post Wow... what an outstanding job! I would have had to removed that sticker too... it took too much away from the box art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roberto Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 I was just looking for hints on removing old price stickers and found this old but very useful topic so I decided to bump it up to make it more readily available to new members who may have the same issue. Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCoder Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 I was just looking for hints on removing old price stickers and found this old but very useful topic so I decided to bump it up to make it more readily available to new members who may have the same issue. Thanks guys! Some people actually like to leave old stickers on because it shows what they sold for back in the day, and gives a "fresh off the shelf" look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roberto Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Some people actually like to leave old stickers on because it shows what they sold for back in the day, and gives a "fresh off the shelf" look. true, and I also leave some in fact but, at times, I don't like see too many rebates and super sales sticker on a box saying $1.99 when I now bought it for $100 or so Makes me wonder what I was doing back in the day and how could I miss so many bargains! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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