2015-07-15
Pull Tab Awareness Week
It's Pull Tab Awareness Week! That's when defgav at Baseball Card Breakdown bribes us with a contest to spread the word about a better way to send cards in toploaders. You can go read his post, or follow along as I package up a single card someone recently requested on Zistle.
First, I get the card, a penny sleeve, and a toploader. In this case we have a 1997 Studio #96 Joe Carter, and a very old toploader
The card goes in the sleeve. You know the drill. I can get away with 2 in a regular toploader, or 4-6 in a thick toploader, but any more than that and I start worrying about dinged corners.
I always put the card into the toploader upside down. That makes it so if the whole thing starts to slide apart, the card is still not exposed to any tape. I haven't seen anyone else do this, but I haven't found any reason this is a bad idea yet, so please let me know if you know of one.
Next, the classic pull tab, over the opening of the toploader. Again, the only part inside the toploader exposed to the adhesive is the bottom of the sleeve.
I don't like putting a toploader directly into an envelope, so I usually grab a sheet of 8.5x11 paper and fold it like so, into a little packet that keeps the toploader from ripping the envelope, and keeps the contents hidden a bit more.
The packet goes into the envelope, but you probably knew that. Now I just need a stamp, normally. But this one's going to Canada, so I'll be swinging by the post office to get the proper amount on it.
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I like how you used blue painters tape. I love blue (or any other color) painters tape. I have received way too many ebay and sportlots cards done the poor way of regular scotch tape on the toploader and no protection not even a penny sleeve. I have been fortunate that I haven't had any major damage done to cards but I have once or twice had a vintage card or a more modern card with a white border get some flaking damage from the tape sticking to the top edge of the card. As I said nothing major and fortunately not to any high valued cards. Ages ago I received my 1982 Topps Cal Ripken Jr. RC (the 3 player one not the "Traded" one) in a PWE in just a damn card saver. I only paid $12 for it (well $10.25 + $1.99 shipping). Being sent in a PWE with just a single forever stamp that was 44cents at the time didn't upset me much. It was the fact the card that was worth well over $10 (even though I only paid about that) and sent in PWE with only One of those plastic ID badge type holders to "protect" it. It wasn't even in a penny sleeve just the card "saver". I dinged the seller a star or two on the shipping and my feedback said I expected more for the shipping charged than a PWE.
ReplyDeleteI like the upsidedown in the toploader idea. I've thought about it. it has been a while since I've sent single cards out so I haven't thought about doing it that way in a while.