30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

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Saturday, November 25, 2017

Problem Solved (Well Almost)

I think one of the reasons I've enjoyed card collecting for over three decades is my OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder).  In fact one quick look at the characteristics that many people with OCD share and it's pretty obvious.  Many of us like to sort, count, put things in order, clean, organize, and follow a strict routine.

 For example... for years I've had a very strict routine on how I store my autographs and memorabilia cards.  I put the card in a penny sleeve, then slide the penny sleeve into a top-loader, and finally insert the top-loader into a team bag.


 This system has worked for years, but it always bothered me that the team bags were too wide, which forced me to store them in an angle in my BCW Super Monster Boxes (right column):

 

 Then a few months ago, I watched a video on YouTube and the guy showed off something called Perfect Fit sleeves.

They're similar to Ultra Pro team bags, except for the sleeve is a little thicker and is much narrower:


 Here's a side by side comparison:

 

 It may not look like that much of a difference, but the Perfect Fit sleeves are almost one centimeter narrower, which makes a huge difference.

 Unfortunately... my OCD issue hasn't entirely been solved.  Transitioning from Ultra Pro team bags hasn't been cheap.  Each 50ct. package is $2.49.  Plus the BCW Super Monster Boxes that I use are designed for top-loaders that aren't bagged.


So even though the Perfect Fit sleeves are narrower, they not quite narrow enough.  The good news is that I no longer need to store all three rows at an angle.  The bad news is that the middle row's angle looks a little more severe than before.

Overall the Perfect Fit sleeves allow me to fit more top-loaders into each box, but there's still room for improvement.  However that's really up to BCW and their Super Monster Boxes design.  If their rows were a tad bit wider all of my OCD issues would be appeased.

 What about you?  Do you use top-loaders?  If so...
How do you store them?

 Happy Saturday and sayonara!
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10 comments:

  1. JayPNovember 25, 2017 at 6:41 PM

    I’ve purchased perfect fit sleeves a few times, but you’re right, it is pretty pricey. They’re also a one time use kind of sleeve, so if you ever decided to swap out the card or toploader you have to use a brand new sleeve. It’s just too much of a hassle for me.

    I now use them only for magnetics and graded cards. I’ll take my chances getting my toploaders scuffed up lol

    ReplyDelete
  2. Base Card HeroNovember 25, 2017 at 6:45 PM

    You are the second person I have found that puts their top-loaders in team bags. I do the same for all my cards and it is incredibly hard to store them that way. I was in the process of building custom storage for my cards as I have hundreds of top-loader cards stored in team bags that will not fit into a regular storage box.

    Teams bags are far cheaper to replace than top-loaders.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Johnnys Trading SpotNovember 25, 2017 at 7:11 PM

    I take the raw card and insert directly into a 9 pocket page slot.

    ReplyDelete
  4. FujiNovember 25, 2017 at 8:28 PM

    jayp - i agree. unlike team bags, perfect fit sleeves aren't really reusable. well they are... but i don't like the way they look when they're reused

    base card hero - i know a few others who store cards the same way. i guess it's my way of being extra safe. if you design an affordable way to store our top loaders, let me know. i'll invest them.

    john miller - i do that too with my base cards and low-end rookie cards, inserts, and parallels. i love my binders.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ketchupman36November 25, 2017 at 11:20 PM

    I discovered Perfect Fit sleeves a couple months back and they are excellent. I picked up their sample pack for some graded cards and mags. I was very pleased. Their penny sleeves were the only ones that didn't totally blow me away, I think. Some day I'd like to go through my top loaded cards, swap out the scuffed ones for fresh top loaders, then put then in Perfect Fit sleeves.

    ReplyDelete
  6. MattNovember 26, 2017 at 3:23 AM

    I use the BCW 2-row boxes. yeah, i end up with a ton of boxes, but they fit nicely in there.

    ReplyDelete
  7. HackenbushNovember 26, 2017 at 10:08 AM

    I go back and forth between pages and top loaders. I have a bunch of both now. I'm not too picky about storing them. maybe messy is a better term.

    ReplyDelete
  8. GCANovember 26, 2017 at 12:22 PM

    Wow, I've never seen top-loadered cards bagged too unless they were shipping through the mail. Guess that's 100% protection. My top loadered stuff is mostly in the drawers of my china cabinets (where they fit fine), or in two row boxes.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The Lost CollectorNovember 26, 2017 at 2:21 PM

    Impressed that you go to such great lengths. My memorabilia cards are all in different sized top loaders. You would not enjoy seeing them as currently stored.

    ReplyDelete
  10. ManNovember 26, 2017 at 7:19 PM

    Funny thing is this is going to be the subject of a post-I put all autos in top loaders and at least all Redbird relics/GU in top loaders too-but I am finding this is a space issue as well as a weight issue-I am debating to having only redbird autos in top loaders and the rest in penny sleeves allowing me to reduce weight and volume-

    ReplyDelete