Protective container for readable cards

In combination with a readable card having a laminar polymeric substrate, a protective case comprising:

• a receptacle formed from no more than two pieces of ferromagnetic metal;
• a lid formed from a single piece of ferromagnetic metal, said receptacle and said lid forming an entirely closed container;
• and
• means for retaining a card stored within the protective case so that it said card is not in direct contact with the ferromagnetic metal of either said receptacle or said lid.

A protective case for preventing erasure of magnetically-encoded information on a card having a polymeric substrate incorporating a magnetizable strip, said protective case comprising:

• a receptacle formed from no more than two pieces of ferromagnetic metal;
• a lid formed from a single piece of ferromagnetic metal, said receptacle and said lid forming an a closed container;
• and
• means for retaining a card stored within the protective case so that it said card is not in direct contact with the ferromagnetic metal of either said receptacle or said lid.

A protective case for preventing electrostatic damage to a querryable integrated circuit chip embedded in a polymeric substrate of a readable card, said protective case comprising:

• a receptacle formed from no more than two pieces of sheet metal;
• a lid formed from a single piece of sheet metal, said receptacle and said lid forming a closed container;
• and
• means for retaining a card stored within the protective case so that it said card is not in direct contact with the metal of either said receptacle or said lid.