Ultra Pro card sleeves question

royalbrett

I'm looking to buy some Ultra Pro card sleeves (penny sleeves), but I have found two different packaging types:



and:



Does anyone know if they are different in terms of sleeve quality?

brianwintersfan

Well I work in a card shop and we carry the first pic you have listed. The only difference could be that the second one is just a different design for their label. I know we have had both and I have never seen any big difference.

royalbrett

<< <i>The only difference could be that the second one is just a different design for their label. >>



Yeah, that's what I was thinking, but I want to make sure before I buy about 10,000 of them.

digicat

Just a word of warning. I bought a case of these things a while back. I wish I hadn't.

In all, I think I end up throwing away 50% of the sleeves w/o ever using them, due to the presence of those little "grain of sand"ish specks in the plastic sleeve itself. With just a little time, they'll create an indentation in the spot on your card they're touching. If you handle the cards, then it'll start making a little spot of wear.

It makes sleeving a bunch of cards rather tedious, as you're having to hold the sleeve to the light to inspect for any particles and such.

I hear that their "Platnium Series Premium" sleeves are free of those defects though, but they usually cost 2x-3x as much as the normal sleeves.

However, If I'm chucking 1/2 of the sleeves, I might as well get the Premiums and save time. When I'm sleeving cards, the last thing I want to do is sit there and "grade" the plastic sleeve to determine if it'll be a threat to my card.

I have heard some folks say that the "Cardboard Gold" brand doesn't have as many throw-away sleeves.

envoy98

The Cardboard Gold ones are much nicer IMO. A case will run you $20 or $25. The are a bit wider and help prevent the "dinging" on the way in and they are more clear and light weight than the ultra pro ones.

ctsoxfan

I agree about the Cardboard Gold sleeves...especially because they are a bit easier to slip a card into without dinging a corner. With the Ultra Pro sleeves, I find myself always having to either rip, or cut one corner.

onlyanumber

Last time I saw the second one pictured was about 6 years ago...

digicat

Heh. Part of my usual "sleeving" routine is to slice about 1/2 inch down one edge of the top part of a sleeve with a scalpel. Learned the hard way with that. Ugh.

I was putting a 60s Topps card of some year in an ultra pro sleeve, and found that it wouldn't go in (it was getting caught on the edge of the sleeve. I backed up and tried it again. OOPS, there goes a chip. Aragh! Never again!

AlanAllen

Buy the Platinums! It's well worth the extra few cents.

Joe

ctsoxfan

<< <i>Buy the Platinums! It's well worth the extra few cents.

Joe >>



Joe, are they any bigger (wider) than the standard sleeves, or are they just better quality?

originalisbest

Much obliged for the tips, guys - I hadn't heard of cardboard gold, but will give 'em a try!

digicat

I went out to the local card shop last night and picked up some UltraPro Platinums. Ugh. No good.

The quality is top notch, none of that "grain of sand" particle junk. However, the darn things are too narrow. Just about a 1/16th of an inch narrower than the regular UltraPro sleeves, but it makes card insertion kinda tedious. You have a really snug fit, and I don't like "snug" when it comes to sleeving cards. There is extra room at the top though, which is nice.

They reminded me of those sleeves that they make for the customizable card games like Magic and Pokemon, just thinner and more "sleeve" at the top.