This is a guide for getting an etopps in-hand card ready to be autographed.  I will discuss how to remove the casing of the card as well as which pens to use for the autograph and how to deal with the 2004 cards.

Let's talk about the casing.  Inevitably, you're going to have to break the seal on the bottom of the card.  There's no way to go around it.  Unless you are affiliated with eTopps or Topps, you will have an etopps card with a broken sticker steal but, hopefully, the satisfaction of getting the autograph will make up for this.  

Here are tips for opening the casing of the card (and closing it):

• Practice, practice, practice on a few inexpensive (under $1) etopps in-hand cards so you feel more comfortable opening up the one that counts
• There are two ways of opening the seal: cutting through it with a razor or manually pulling the sticker off one side of the card (front or back).  I guarantee that when you try to reseal the sticker, it will look like it had been pulled. 
  
• Now the hard part (and this is where practice may come in handy): in between the two sides of the casing where the card resides, gently place something thin there to give room for a flat, thin screwdriver (not a Phillips!) to be inserted at the bottom of the card near a corner.  Once the tip of the flat screwdriver is inserted, twist the screwdriver gently while holding the casing in your other hand without letting the card move.   You  should hear the acrylic casing  slabs pop open.
  
• Do the same with the screwdriver by the other corner of the bottom of the card until the other side pops open.
• Now you can slip the front casing from the bottom.  Watch the tabs at the top of the card while you do this.  I did this too fast before getting an etopps card autographed and the top section that snaps together went flying in the air...right in front of the athlete!
• After getting the card autographed, align the top tabs together for the front and back casing sections together and snap back together the two bottom corner sections with your index finger and thumb. 
  

Which pen to use for autographing an etopps card?

I would recommend either of the following:

• Sharpie
• Staedtler
  

The one etopps year I would be careful of is 2004.  The cards of that year had a silicon coating which caused bubbles in the signature.  If you want to get a 2004 etopps card autographed, before having the card signed you can try the following:

• Rub the entire card with your fingers for a few minutes
• Take a piece of shipping or duct tape.  Place the tape over the card and remove the tape.  Do this several time

Either technique will help remove the coating from the card.  The tape removal technique will probably work better and may require practice on cheap 2004 in-hand cards.

Best of luck in getting your etopps card autographed.  Remember to bring a digital camera along when getting the card autographed to show proof that it was signed and if you can, obtain a Certificate of Authenticity if you wish to re-sell the autographed card some day.