Importance of Changing Comic Bags and Boards
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Why is it important to change your comic book bags and boards? How often should you swap out the bags and boards for new supplies? Martin explains…
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Is Polyester or Polypropylene the Right Choice for my Sleeves and Bags?
We make a simple distinction between bags and sleeves. We define the bags as having a flap that wraps over the top, while the sleeves are open on the top.
In many instances, such as comic bags, you can select bags made from polyester or polypropylene. Which material is best for your needs? There are several factors to consider to make the best choice.
Both polyester or polypropylene are considered archival-safe by the U.S. Library of Congress (learn more at the LOC page). The different chemistry between polyester or polypropylene gives them different attributes as sleeves and bags. BoPET (biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate) is a polyester film made from stretched PET (polyethylene terephthalate). BoPET is commonly called Mylar, the brand name of BoPET developed by the DuPont company. Polyester is inert and has no plasticizers or other chemicals that will damage collectible documents. Polyester is almost completely impermeable to liquids and gases. Polyester is transparent and does not yellow with age. Polyester film is the material of choice for archiving many of the United States’ most valuable historical documents according to the Library of Congress. Polypropylene is also archival safe, however it is gas permeable.
Polyester sleeves and bags are more rigid than polypropylene counterparts. This gives polyester bags a brilliant, shiny surface. Polyester bags are strong and unlikely to tear, while the flexibility of polypropylene bags may be a better solution for some needs.
If price is a consideration, polypropylene sleeves and bags are more cost effective than those made from polyester (Mylar). This makes polypropylene the popular choice for large collections.
For all of the bags and sleeves offered by BCW Supplies, we clearly define what material is used in its production. The description is found on the product’s respective webpage.
BCW Folio Solutions for Card Playsets
In Magic: the Gathering, Pokémon, and other card games, collecting playsets of four cards is ideal for some strategies. In Magic for example, you have a deck of sixty cards (in general) and you draw seven cards in your opening hand and one more each turn thereafter. Magic rules limit your card selection to no more than four of the same card in your deck. Thus, if you have four of a certain card in your deck, a “playset”, you can maximize the likelihood the desired card will be in your hand when needed.
Organizing playsets in a binder is perfect for displaying what sets you have or showing what cards you’re needing to complete a set. Furthermore, when forming a deck with a desired tactic, folios make it easy to see your options and selecting your deck. BCW offers three solutions for collecting cards in playsets.
BCW 4-Pocket Pro-Folios
BCW 4-Pocket Pro-Folios provide a simple 4-up page. Twenty double-sided pages are welded into the album for holding 160 cards. The pages are acid-fee with side-loading pockets. An elastic closure is used to keep the folio closed. 4-Pocket Pro-Folios are available in five colors.
BCW 8-Pocket Pro-Folio LX Black
The BCW 8-Pocket Page Pro-Folio LX is available with a black leatherette cover and an elastic closure. It’s the same exterior size as our 9-Pocket Page Pro-Folio LX, however the cards are oriented the other direction with 8 pockets per page which is conducive to collecting sets of four. The folio contains twenty double-sided pages to for holding 320 cards.
BCW 12-Pocket Z-Folio LX
The BCW 12-Pocket Page Z-Folio LX has twenty double-sided pages for holding 480 cards. The pages are acid-free with side-loading pockets. The leatherette covers are available in five colors. A durable zipper ensures cards will be kept safe.
BCW Signage for Your Hobby Shop
Hobby shops, like all retail stores, are concerned about using their merchandising space efficiently. Every square foot in your store is important! When properly merchandised, BCW products are worth space in your shop. As BCW products have a long shelf life, almost 100% of your BCW products will provide a positive return. With point-of-sale signs to identify your BCW products, you can move your supplies quicker. If your hobby shop needs signs to support your supplies section, BCW offers a sign and a window cling.
You can find the Window Cling on our website, but you’ll need to be signed-in your wholesale account in order to view this item. If you add a window cling to your online shopping cart, the price of one cling will be deducted from the cart value. If you want additional window clings, please describe what you need in the “Order Comments” section of your online order, or message a BCW Customer Service Rep.
The BCW signs above are 32 inches wide, and use a system with magnets to mount on top of steel shelves. If you want one or more of these signs, please describe what you need in the “Order Comments” section of your online order, or message a BCW Customer Service Rep.
Do Sleeved Cards Fit in 9-Pocket Pages?
On Twitter, RipkenFan asked, “Does any 1 put their cards in penny sleeves & then in pocket pages? What combo of brands? I cannot get a good fit.”
Walter Payton cards in BCW card sleeves and 9-Pocket Top-Loading Pages
Standard BCW sleeves (1-SSLV), nicknamed penny sleeves, fit in the pockets of BCW’s 9-Pocket Top-Loading Pages (1-PRO9T-20, 1-PRO9T-100), our most common page. However, the sleeved cards fit tight in the center column which may cause the sleeve to fold or bunch-up slightly.
Jerry Rice cards in BCW card sleeves and 9-Pocket Side-Loading pages
If you want to sleeve your cards and place them in a page, BCW 9-Pocket Side-Loading Pages are recommended (1-PRO9S-20). The side-loading pages offer a little more room for the sleeved cards compared to the top-loading page.
As both of these protective pages are made from acid-free polypropylene, the pages are archival quality. Placing the cards in sleeves before inserting into the pages is a matter of preference, buy it’s a smart idea to keep fingerprints off the cards while handling and to make sure you don’t scratch the card when inserting or removing cards from pages.
BCW Now Offers UPS SurePost Shipping
BCW evaluates the best options for shipping your hobby supplies. For small parcels, UPS Ground was our default option, as this service has a good balance of speed, cost and reliability.
To send parcels at a better rate, BCW now offers UPS SurePost. This service is ideal for shipments under 10-lbs. sent to residential addresses in the 48 contiguous United States. SurePost orders leave the BCW warehouse with UPS, but the shipment is given to the US Postal Service for final delivery.
Using this hybrid delivery system offers a great shipping price, but there are some limitations you should consider before selecting your shipment method on a BCW order. First, when using UPS SurePost, the parcel is not trackable. Second, a UPS SurePost parcel is insured for $100 while the package is with UPS. After the parcel is given to the USPS, the insurance is no longer valid. Third, UPS SurePost normally takes one day longer in transit compared to UPS Ground, however the US Postal Service delivers on Saturdays so you may benefit from UPS SurePost. If the US Postal Service’s lack of tracking or insurance, or the delivery time are not acceptable for the delivery of your order, you should not select UPS SurePost as your delivery method. UPS Ground and other options are available for receiving your BCW Supplies’ order.
If you have any questions about BCW delivery options, please contact the BCW Customer Service Team.
Protecting Topps Chipz
With a design that’s a mix between a poker chip and a baseball card, Topps Chipz need a special storing method. Collectors of Topps Chipz can utilize coin supplies to protect these unconventional items.
Topps Chipz in BCW Coin Flips and Pages
Paper flips are an efficient way to store coins. You simply fold the paper to sandwich the coin (Topps Chipz in this instance) in the circular plastic-covered window. Paper flips are sized for numerous coins, but for the Topps Chipz, you’ll want the largest paper flips designed for Silver Eagle or Crown coins (1-PF2.5-CRWN-BULK). Collectors typically staple close the paper flip to secure the coin/Topps Chipz inside. Then the Chipz can be arranged in a BCW 12-Pocket Page (1-BCW12T) and stored in a 3-ring binder for a nice presentation.
Thanks to Toby J. for sharing some of his Topps Chipz collection.
It’s Easy to Enclose your Comic in the BCW Comic Book Frame!
What’s Your Favorite Gatefold Album?
Record covers for 33 RPMs provide a tangible, artistic element to the album that digital music cannot emulate. Gatefold albums, which unfold into two panels, provide an even larger canvas for the band to present its style. Gatefolds were popular starting in the late 1950s and common until the CD revolution in the 1980s.
Gatefold covers were used for double LPs as each cover can hold a record. Therefore concert albums regularly used a gatefold design to allow for the needed double LPs of long recordings. Yet gatefolds were often single albums and the extra cover panel was simply used to print lyrics, band photos and artwork.
Elton John A Single Man, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon
Some notable gatefold albums include The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s, Bob Dylan Blonde On Blonde, Led Zeppelin IV, Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon, Miles Davis Bitches Brew, U2 The Joshua Tree, and Rush 2112.
Soundtrack Gatefold Double LPs: Superman The Movie, Star Wars, Fame, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Gatefold albums for plays and movie soundtracks were common to accommodate the needed double LPs. These provided lots of space for movie stills and helped create the mood of the movie while listening.
Santana Lotus recorded live in Osaka in 1973 and Walt Disney’s Fantasia from 1957 (1940 movie)
Other albums went beyond simply opening up into two panels. The above Fantasia album had a book format with a page spread for each song of the classic soundtrack. The above Santana Lotus concert recording expanded from a gatefold to reveal multiple artistic panels.
BCW Supplies offers numerous solutions to protect, store and display records. As some collectors prefer to present gatefold albums in an open position, we have added Album Sleeves for Open Gatefolds and Toploading Holders for Open Gatefolds. If collectors prefer to store gatefolds in the traditional closed format, BCW has 7mm Wide Toploading Record Holders that accommodate this size. See all of BCW’s music supplies for 33s, 45s and CDs.
What gatefold albums are iconic to you? Share your favorites in the comments below.
First Day Cover Collecting
A First Day Cover (FDC) is an envelope or postcard with a stamp that has been cancelled by the post office on the first day the stamp was issued. This traditionally involves getting a “First Day of Issue” postmark on the stamp on the respective date, however those rules have relaxed in the U.S., and now FDC collectors can send stamped envelopes to a Special Event Coordinator to get special “First Day of Issue” postmarks. Often first day of issue stamps are placed on special First Day Cover #6 envelopes or postcards, known as cachets, that commemorate the topic of the stamp.
American Circus First Day Cover
Source: Larry Kellogg, www.worthpoint.com
Collecting First Day Covers is fun for stamp collectors as it requires some participation…
First, you must be aware of the release schedule for new stamps if you plan to collect new First Day Covers. This USPS site is a good reference for U.S. stamps. Previously released First Day Covers can be found at stamp stores, antique stores and online.
Second, there are numerous topics for stamps and First Day Cover cachets. If you have a favorite theme, such as bird stamps, collecting FDCs of that theme can be fun and rewarding.
Third, getting an envelope franked with a “First Day of Issue” postmark in only done at the post office (or a special postal station) in one location traditionally. Often there’s a First Day Ceremony for a new stamp design. So if a stamp depicts a historical event, the location related to the historical event may host a First Day Ceremony. As an example, The Batman themed First Day Cover below was available at US Post Offices on October 9th, 2014 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Caped Crusader. This stamp release was coordinated with the New York Comic Con, where the Post Office established a temporary postal station, Gotham City Station. Parcels cancelled at Gotham City Station received a special pictorial postmark, adding another interesting aspect for stamp collectors. As a service to stamp collectors not attending the New York Comic Con, the USPS allowed customers to mail envelopes or postcards with the adhered Batman stamp to a Special Event Coordinator in New York City and then the stamps receive the special First Day of Issue postmark and get mailed to the respective address.
Batman First Day Cover with pictorial postmark
BCW Supplies offer several items to protect, store and display First Day Cover envelopes and postcards. Select from sleeves, toploaders, and pages for 3-ring binders. See all of BCW’s Postcard and Envelope Supplies.
