9-Pocket Pages (Ultra Pro) - Got cheaper in last 20 years?!

MansGame · Jun 25, 2014

It's been a LONG time since I purchased any 9-pocket pages for baseball cards but decided to do so this past weekend to "upgrade" some of the pages that look a little warn from probably when I put them in my binders back in the '90's. It wasn't long before I quickly noticed the same brand 9-pocket pages (Ultra Pro) were noticeably more flimsy and thin than the pages I was replacing from back in the day. I mean damn, they were extremely flimsy and almost couldn't support itself when 9 cards were put into them.

Anyways, has anyone else noticed this? Does anyone have a brand they'd recommend which are higher quality? I thought Ultra Pro was a top of the line brand but if not, someone call me out. Thoughts are welcome

BBCgalaxee · Jun 25, 2014

Did you recently buy them in a blue or black box?

The blue box is lesser quality than black.

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MansGame · Jun 25, 2014

BBCgalaxee said:
Did you recently buy them in a blue or black box?

The blue box is lesser quality than black.

Sent from my HTCONE using Freedom Card Board mobile app

I'll have to go look but it's probably the blue box then... I mean these pages were clear and clean but they were damn cheap feeling and had no strength to them at all.

gt2590 · Jun 25, 2014

IDK about the different color boxes, but I haven't noticed any difference in the pages I get. Black box BTW, if that helps...

MansGame · Jun 25, 2014

Has anyone compared the new pages you can buy today to the ones you've had since the mid-90s? It's night and day. There are some 9-pocket pages from the 90s that I still have which are like 3x as thick it seems like or at least 3x as strong. I guess it's like anything else, they're cutting costs and finding wants to save money... using less plastic I'm sure.

predatorkj · Jun 25, 2014

No, ultra pro really does make some pages mega crappy. The ones I get at the card shop are great. But there really is a good kind and a bad kind. I purchased a slew of the bad ones at once, got them home, and was pissed. I trashed them and went to the shop later that week.

fordman · Jun 25, 2014

BCW had the market for 9 pocket pages through the mid to late 90's. They're still around but what happened was, Ultra-Pro started making 9 pocket pages to go with their memorabilia holders. BCW almost fell off the map do to Ultra-Pro making all of their stuff in china, BCW was made in Anderson, Indiana. BCW used ****** plastics for their products while Ultra-Pro used recycled & re-grind in theirs (considerably cheaper).

To current date: Ultra-Pro does have their platinum line that uses ****** plastic and their mid grade uses the recycled - re-grind.
BCW is still in business but only in hobby shops shows and independent dist. Ultra-Pro has made their way into walmart, target and other major retailers, giving them more of a customer base. BCW however has evolved more into the gaming card top loaders and they do quite well in that business.

I once was sold a case of 9 pocket pages that were perforated into making single card holders in 1988. I couldnt sell them because the quality of the plastic was bad. I dumped them into a dumpster at a card show in Louisville, KY.

Fordman

BBCgalaxee · Jun 25, 2014

Anyone remember SIDE loading nine pocket pages?

In the 80s, nearly all pages were side loading instead of top loading.

Brewer Andy · Jun 25, 2014

Awful. As were "back loading" pages

MansGame · Jun 25, 2014

BBCgalaxee said:
Anyone remember SIDE loading nine pocket pages?

In the 80s, nearly all pages were side loading instead of top loading.

Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaa taking it back now

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BBCgalaxee · Jun 25, 2014

MansGame said:
Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaa taking it back now

---
Buying Albert Belle cards! PM me!

Some years back I got a couple of side loading "TOP LOADERS"!

Never knew those things existed.

Sent from my HTCONE using Freedom Card Board mobile app

MansGame · Jun 25, 2014

BBCgalaxee said:
Some years back I got a couple of side loading "TOP LOADERS"!

Never knew those things existed.

Sent from my HTCONE using Freedom Card Board mobile app

No way lol

---
Buying Albert Belle cards! PM me!

brian26 · Jun 25, 2014

Yep, I definitely remember the side-loading sheets.

timfsu2k · Jun 27, 2014

fordman said:
I once was sold a case of 9 pocket pages that were perforated into making single card holders in 1988. I couldnt sell them because the quality of the plastic was bad. I dumped them into a dumpster at a card show in Louisville, KY.

Fordman

Ah, so the rumors of the infamous 9 pocket sheet dump is true! That legend is second only to the "Atari dumping copies of E.T." rumor!

Seriously though, I remember getting those small albums that held 90 cards and halfway through the sheets were back loaders. Hated those!

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BenG76 · Jun 27, 2014

I always use Ultra Pro Platinum for my pages. Once I started using them I kept doing so for uniformity I guess. I don't have any complaints about them for the 3 or so years I have been back to collecting. I always buy them on EBay for the most part.

MansGame · Jul 13, 2014

Bought some from the black box at the LCS this weekend and they're much better and higher quality.

Will Style 13 · Jul 13, 2014

Yeah I've learned my lesson I only buy black box anymore. I had some pages that overtime chipped at the top and some would rip easily when putting cards in them. I'm certainly not rough with my pages either.

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