Removing cards from albums without damage

[Collector Colin]

Some of the original collectors' albums for cigarette cards were not particularly well made and it can be quite hard to extract cards from them without damaging them. Anyone have any tips?

[IanSammel]

It's not clear from your question whether you want to avoid damaging the cards or the albums (or both).  I presume you are talking about slip-in albums rather than ones with the cards stuck in.  There's no easy answer.  The basic trick is to carefully lift the card to bend it slightly whilst avoiding getting all the stress in one place and creasing the card.  Hold the ends of the card between finger and thumb and carefully lift the centre.  Try to keep one end of the card in the same place whilst the other end slowly slides out from under the paper strips.  Try to lift the card with something comparatively wide and smooth like your finger rather than tweezers which concentrate the stress. 

However no matter how hard you try, you will almost certainly tear off some of the paper strips at the corners.  Quite likely some of them were already torn by the person who put the cards into the album in the first place.  Personally if I have the slightest difficulty removing the card, I just cut through the paper strips at one end with a sharp knife e.g. a Stanley knife.

[boxingcardman]

If you are talking glue, it depends on what kind of glue they used.  Water-based glues can be soaked off easily.  You have virtually no chance of removing oil-based glues without stains or damage.  The solvents necessary to remove oil-based glues will often turn the card stock gray.  Found that out the hard way...