BCW Supplies Recap of the 2022 GAMA Expo

The 2022 GAMA Expo returned after a virtual-only event in 2021. This trade show, hosted by The Game Manufacturers Association, brings together board game, card game, RPG publishers, game shops, and distributors to look at new games and discuss topics in the industry. The 2022 GAMA Expo was held in Reno March 14th to the 18th. The 2023 Expo will also be in Reno, and it was announced the 2024 through 2026 Expos will be in Louisville.

Board Game, RPG, and Card Game Accessories Seminar Hosted by BCW Supplies

BCW Supplies managed a seminar on Tuesday, March 15th, hosted by Andrew Phillips. Much of the presentation was about BCW products, including our Spectrum brand of board game, RPG, and card game accessories. Andrew has a wealth of knowledge about game shop accessories, so he also shared ideas in the supplies category beyond the BCW and Spectrum brands. In addition to working for BCW, Andrew is the owner of Level Up Games which has two retail locations in Georgia. Andrew also worked for GTS Distribution for several years, so he has seen the industry from several angles.

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Protecting and Storing Sealed Packs of Trading Cards

Unopened packs of trading cards have been an important part of the collectible card market, both for sport and non-sport cards, with sought after sets increasing in value. Some collectors like to keep a variety of unopened packs. No matter the reasons for keeping unopened packs, keeping them protected and safely stored is important.

Many traditional sports cards were wrapped in wax paper, hence the term “wax packs”. Today card packs are normally sealed in cellophane, plastic, or foil. Packs of card games such as Magic: The Gathering, and Pokémon are normally called “booster packs”. There are several options to keep card packs in mint condition. Below are some of the affordable storage options offered by BCW Supplies.

Packs of cards in thick toploaders
Sealed Card Packs in Thick Toploaders

While the pack itself offers protection to the cards, it is still possible to damage the wrap or get it dirty. A basic solution is to put a pack in a toploader. Most modern packs have sealed flaps at the top and bottom, and those flaps will need to be carefully tucked inside the toploader. For thin packs, such as the Pokémon booster pack pictured above, a 197 Point Thick Toploader is the appropriate size (5mm thick). For thicker packs, such as the 2021 Topps Baseball shown above, use a 240 Point Thick Toploader (7mm thick). 360 Point Thick Toploaders are also available (9mm thick). To store toploaders, BCW offers several boxes and bins.

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Join the BCW Supplies Group in the 2022 Bracket Games

This contest has concluded. Congratulations to the winners:
1st Place, Harald D.
2nd Place, Scott S.
3rd Place, John K.
4th Place, Jeff H.
Thanks to the 322 participants that joined our group.

Join the 2022 BCW Supplies group in the CBS Sports Bracket Games! You need to create a CBSSports.com account in order to participate.

Go here to enter our Bracket Games group.

After the brackets are posted, make your game predictions before the tourney starts, and enjoy the games. After the tournament, the four participants with the most points will win the prizes listed below.

BCW 3200 Card Bin and Partitions
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How to Assemble a BCW Comic or Magazine Bin

When you get a BCW Comic Book or Magazine Bin, it will come as a set of panels that need to be snapped together. It can be a bit confusing the first time you do this, but becomes much easier on later builds. The How To videos for the Short Comic Bin, Long Comic Bin, Graded Comic Bin, and Magazine Bin are all below, although the assembly process is identical for all of these bins.

BCW Short Comic Book Bin Assembly
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