I loved the cards ALMOST as much as the figures.
I would compare the toy figure to the image on the card, to see how accurate the toy was. Most of the time it was pointless, as they were head-to-waist portraits, or airbrushed art. But, sometimes, you'd get a full image, like the X-WING PILOT card.
I also used to encircle the figures I owned with a pen. I stopped the practice as I got older. I wanted to keep the cards as mint as possible. Sadly, the cards would sooner or later get lost, traded or just torn up and thrown out. None of my childhood cards survived, all lost to time.
I did briefly consider keeping the figures sealed, but being so young at the time, I would inevitably rip them open. The Greedo action-figure looked just too good to not be played with.