9-Pocket Pages Sagging in Binder - Advice Please!

theorioles

Hi Folks...I have some complete sets in binders and now when I take them out to look at them I notice that the 9-pocket pages are sagging a bit and the result is that the 3 cards at the bottom of the 9-pocket page are starting to curl under the weight....the corner card being the worst. Do you guys have similar problems? Do you store your complete sets in binders a different way than standing up the binder? How do you avoid this problem? Fewer pages in each binder? What's the secret.....please?

Thanks,
Gord

zep33

I store all mine laying flat, stacks of 3 in a bookcase

itzagoner

remove them from the binder. never put them back.

if God created baseball cards, then the devil created binders.

gameusedhoop

You either have to have the binders very full or lay them flat. Very full, packed tightly on the shelf works OK too. If there is no room to sag, they won't.

BunchOBull

I agree with storing them flat (what I do) or next, keeping the binders full.

My biggest suggestion...buy 8x10 sheets of corregated plastic...3 hole punch them and put them between every 20 sheets or so...it offers protection in multiple ways, including while flipping multiple pages at once. I HIGHLY recommend.

otwcards

As has been stated already, lay them flat... If they have the album "tilt" from not being "full," then you can stagger them. I usually store them stacked 3-4 high depending upon the size of the set and the space on the shelf. Smaller sets share albums (ex: 1986/87-1989/90 Fleer Basketball and 1964-65 and 1966-67 Phildelphia Football share the same dwellings).

BunchOBull

If you don't do the plastic inserts...consider putting just one in the very back of the binder. This gives the sheets a perfectly flat surface to lie on, with no concern for the stress of gravity misshaping the cards nearest to the rings.

Boddington

I place my binders on the right side edge with the spine facing upwards. I haven't had any problems and it lets the pages hang down without the edges touching anything. I also put rigid thick full page size plastic 'dividers' at the front and back to ensure that the first and last pages are lying against a flat surface. No problems so far.

Jim

itzagoner

just to clarify.....there are good suggestions here about the use of notebooks, and my guess is laying them flat would prevent the lower cards in the 9-pocket pages from sagging and bending....the problem i have with stacking is the rings in the binders leaving indentations on the cards of the top page and bottom page, so flat protection there is a must.

i have seen many heartbreaks in my days of card collecting, but one of the toughest to take is seeing a potentially valuable card with a set of railroad tracks straight down the middle thanks to those blasted rings.....another one is to see the top right corner card bent irreparably due to pressure from the book cover.....i suppose it does depend on the type of book you use and how everything fits.

just my thoughts, it's why i will never store another card in a notebook, EVER.

ymarea

I've moved my most valuable sets out of binders and into pennysleeves/toploaders.

For the ones I have that remain in binders, I lay the binders flat and have no cards in the first column of the top and bottom sheets. This keeps all cards safely out of reach of those darn rings.

thedutymon

<< <i>just to clarify.....there are good suggestions here about the use of notebooks, and my guess is laying them flat would prevent the lower cards in the 9-pocket pages from sagging and bending....the problem i have with stacking is the rings in the binders leaving indentations on the cards of the top page and bottom page, so flat protection there is a must.

i have seen many heartbreaks in my days of card collecting, but one of the toughest to take is seeing a potentially valuable card with a set of railroad tracks straight down the middle thanks to those blasted rings.....another one is to see the top right corner card bent irreparably due to pressure from the book cover.....i suppose it does depend on the type of book you use and how everything fits.

just my thoughts, it's why i will never store another card in a notebook, EVER. >>



Or as has happened to me on several occasions, destroying cards (Trying to remove them) that were shipped to me in their 9 card page holders. Last year I bought a 1964 Topps Bubbles Outer Limits set..50 cards NM-MT, paid $500 for it, had to use a razor blade to remove the first two cards which had neen damaged from being forced into the 9 card page holders. After I got a good look at the two cards, boxed it back up and sent back to the Seller and got a refund. Watched the Re-Listing...Sold for $300 second time around.

Never and I mean EVER..EVER will a card of miine be in one of those Planned Card destroyers!!! Period!!

Neil

storm888

Binders are pretty evil.

There are some sag prevention techniques, but they
are not aesthetically pleasing.

If you must use 9-pocket pages, always store/stack the binders flat.

For my personal stuff, I use two and four window pages. The photo
companies and the stamp-supply companies make nice ones. The
pages sag MUCH less and give easy access to the cards/items, BUT
the "pretty" part of the system just is not there.

Two window first-day cover pages are large enough to comfortably
hold currency-size items or 5 x 7 postcards. Items are easily removable.
The pages come in clear or black back. The binders are heavily padded
and very attractive. The systems cost more than the wicked binders,
but they won't hurt your items.

I have ruined hundreds of cards using binders, but it has been about
25-years since the last disaster.

mcadams

If anything is sagging, I would call Dr. 90210.

mcolney1

Use the right binders and you'll be just fine. I have some very valuable sets in binders and sheets. No curling, no damage because I use these Unikeep. They are archival, cost around $8.00 each. I only use the 1" or 1.5". Two 1.5" will hold a six series set of cards. They lay flat, all sides are protected by the plastic and they stack square because of their design. Tony

redsfanman

I really like those archival binders...how did you make the labels?

mcolney1

I just used my color laser printer and kind of copied the Roupe (sp) design. Its just printed on 8.5x11 photo paper and slipped in behind the plastic liner. Looks real good when they are all together.

Morgoth

Hey thanks for the link, I haven't seen those before.

mittec

I'm really starting to hate binders and pages

Ripken

Several years ago, a store in south suburban Chicago had binder slip covers that worked for the 3" binders. Not sure if they still lhave them. Told me once they gave up marketing them because no one wanted them.

baseballfan

those seem cool, i'll have to look into those, they really work well??

Bunker

mcolney1 those binders look nice. I like the support at the bottom to keep the cards from sagging.

I may try that for some of my basketball sets like you did. If they work out I may try it for my 71 Baseball. An album for each series might work pretty good.

How many cards do you store per album?

mcolney1

The 1" binder will hold two series of cards - 264+ cards. The 1.5" binder will hold three series of cards - 396 cards. In the picture I have the 1969 and 1970 Topps basketball set held tight in a 1.5" binder. Take the six series baseball sets of the early 80's. I can hold three series each in the 1.5" binders. So two 1.5" binders hold all 792 cards plus the 132 card traded series.

I'm real pleased with the binders. They're not perfect, but for under well under $6.00 each they offer enough protecting and access to looking at my collection, I happy with them.

redsfanman

So I bought some of these UniKeep binders and just got them today. I have to say that these binders are pretty slick. I put a set of 792 cards in two 1.5" binders and they look great. Thanks mcolney1 for the tip.

mcolney1

Glad I could help. They are not high quality, but for the price I think they get the job done nicely!

goraiders

<< <i>So I bought some of these UniKeep binders and just got them today. I have to say that these binders are pretty slick. I put a set of 792 cards in two 1.5" binders and they look great. Thanks mcolney1 for the tip. >>




Great thread,I have all my sets from 75-2009 stored in pretty much regular binders,
I used all my packs of 90 proset+score I had laying around and used them to support the
back-end of every other binder,I put them stacked 3-4 high.I did the same,bought some and
got them yesterday,they are great!Thanks for all the info,I started putting the sets into there new
home,not good.Nothing like ring indentions,.


Thanks again!

J.R.