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Convert from 1-Touch to Toploaders

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fordman

Well-known member
Feb 22, 2013
3,190
32
Ohio
Hi All,

I have 98% of my PC in 1-touch mag holders. There are around 1500+ of them. I'm running out of room. Plus they're very heavy when placed in a BCW shoebox or 3 row box.

Should I just convert all of my PC to Toploaders to eliminate the space and weight issue? OR Just anything that's not autographed/relic or 1/1?

If I convert to Toploaders, I'd also use Superior Fit Sleeves too. Btw, all of my mags are in Superior Fit Sleeves now.

I would be willing to give away the mags (I can give them away to someone here, just pay the freight). Divide them up between several members (again just pay the freight).

What do you all think?
Fordman


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nevermore

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
3,371
515
New York
I would look at it from the point of protection. The magnetic holders provide the most safety. I feel it is easier to make space if needed.

If you are looking to find middle ground, I agree with keeping the lower-end card in top loaders. I keep my team sets and Paul O'Neill cards in binders. Otherwise, I would need thousands of top loaders as well, plus it is easier to flip through the cards in binders.

I recently learned that they also sell toploader binder pages where you can hold 4/6 cards per page and keep them in an album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4_CIc0xVoc

This is pricey, I'm sure there are cheaper options too. They have 4 pocket UltraPro pages you can probably fit top loaders inside them. I have thought about moving my 50s/60s cards into such binders.

I keep my high-end (>$100 value) and single autographs in a shoe box where I prefer the one-touch holders as well.
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
6,188
4,100
Many years back when I started to focus on autographs heavily, I was keeping all of my cards in toploaders. This wasn't just pack pulled, high dollar autos either. This included low dollar TTM autos too. As the collection grew quickly, space became an issue, but the cost of the toploaders was also adding up. I was buying them by the case and burning through them pretty fast. Eventually I decided to just use super shoe boxes and soft sleeves. I continued to gather autographed cards at an alarming pace and now even in sleeves alone, the space is still an issue. The only exceptions are oversized cards that don't fit in sleeves (52-56 Topps, etc) & uncirculated cards that came in sealed cases from packs. I never remove those unless the cases have gotten severely scratched.

I still keep all of my Garvey collection in some sort of rigid holder (mags, toploaders, cases, etc). I thought about making them uniform, but in the end I may just go the soft sleeve route there too.

My "problem" is that I can't seem to get rid of anything. I like it all! My collection has moved past 40 years of actively picking up items and getting rid of very little along the way. I have A LOT of stuff. Some marquee items, a decent amount of generally good stuff and a lot most would consider junk.

The decision comes down to your personal preference, cost factors and storage capability. Thankfully for you, it seems you don't have the same issue and your collection fits into a small area regardless of what holders you might choose to use.
 

Letch77

Well-known member
Jan 28, 2018
1,608
353
Midwest
I keep all of my Thomas PC (1700+) in toploaders in 3-row super shoe boxes. I like the storage capability and relatively low cost and weight...protection still meets my needs, as I don't take them anywhere or fiddle with them too much. Usually you have to be pretty careless to damage a card in a toploader. I think I've gotten cases of 1000 regular toploaders w/ sleeves for around $60 shipped.

Anything I have graded will end up in a graded card shoe box, maybe one of those slotted ones to keep them orderly.
 

Calripkenjrcollector

Active member
Dec 12, 2009
935
34
National City, California
I just got done with this. All Ripken cards in penny sleeve and top loaders. The autos get extra and in penny sleeve, top loader and team bag. 9500 cards in a three row shoe boxes (12 Full) and the autos in a 5 row (1 and 1/2 full). Totals cost of supplies is a little over $1000 since I had to buy everything. 7 cases of 1000 35pt top loaders were $67 each, 55pt to 360pts were at different prices. Lucky they were free shipping. Although it was a lot of fun, it was also a lot of work. If I had to do it all over again, I'd leave the cards the way they were and buy more Ripken cards with the $1000, haha. They all look better now though...
 

fordman

Well-known member
Feb 22, 2013
3,190
32
Ohio
For those that have converted to top loaders, did you use BCW or UltraPro? Did it make a difference?

Thanks for all of the replies and guidance!

Fordman


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BunchOBull

Active member
Dec 12, 2008
5,463
14
Houston, TX
I'm actually of the mind that toploaders provide better overall protection that onetouches for three reasons:

1 - they better allow for penny sleeves, which I consider essential in the surface protection of cards. They're soft enough to provide some displacement of small dust particles or foreign objects that inadvertently work their way into holders, whereas a well-fitted onetouch will not "give" and forces said particles into the surface of cards.

2 - in the case of falls, onetouches have so much mass that they hit with a lot of force and have no buffer between themselves and the card. Toploaders on the otherhand have little mass, and the penny sleeve reduces the acceleration of the card inside of the holder.

3 - penny sleeves, like Tyvek wrap on a home, provide excellent vapor and liquid protection because they're made from inert polypropylene fibers. The rigid polyethylene blend of onetouches, while inert, doesn't share that property.
 

brian26

Member
Nov 12, 2010
679
10
Have purchased several cards through Ebay over the past six months that arrived with penny sleeves and top loaders. I've noticed the penny sleeves had a tiny little indentation in some cases, like a little dot, and somehow that has been pressed into the surface of the card. Can't explain why the penny sleeves are damaged or how this gets pressed down either before mailing or during the mailing process, but the surface of the cards have been ruined (think a tiny little dent in the surface of the card, like if a piece of sea salt had been pressed into it). Anyway, be careful, guys.
 

fordman

Well-known member
Feb 22, 2013
3,190
32
Ohio
Have purchased several cards through Ebay over the past six months that arrived with penny sleeves and top loaders. I've noticed the penny sleeves had a tiny little indentation in some cases, like a little dot, and somehow that has been pressed into the surface of the card. Can't explain why the penny sleeves are damaged or how this gets pressed down either before mailing or during the mailing process, but the surface of the cards have been ruined (think a tiny little dent in the surface of the card, like if a piece of sea salt had been pressed into it). Anyway, be careful, guys.

The little indentation may be from to mail sorting machines if you are getting items PWE. If they're coming in bubble mailer then I'm not sure how the indentation got there.

Fordman


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Letch77

Well-known member
Jan 28, 2018
1,608
353
Midwest
For those that have converted to top loaders, did you use BCW or UltraPro? Did it make a difference?

I've been using Ultra Pro just because it's what was cheapest when I first purchased in quantity. I've got some larger BCW toploaders for the oversized stuff...or a combination. I don't think there is much difference when using the standard sized stuff, but I've been happy with the Ultra Pro.

2 - in the case of falls, onetouches have so much mass that they hit with a lot of force and have no buffer between themselves and the card. Toploaders on the otherhand have little mass, and the penny sleeve reduces the acceleration of the card inside of the holder.

I'll expand on this point and say that one touches could separate if they land just right while the faces of toploaders are fused together. I've never experimented with one touch separation, but F=MA would suggest that given enough acceleration, the impact could overcome the magnetic pull and separate the one touch.

^^^^^See what this lack of sports is doing to me!^^^^^
 

BunchOBull

Active member
Dec 12, 2008
5,463
14
Houston, TX
Have purchased several cards through Ebay over the past six months that arrived with penny sleeves and top loaders. I've noticed the penny sleeves had a tiny little indentation in some cases, like a little dot, and somehow that has been pressed into the surface of the card. Can't explain why the penny sleeves are damaged or how this gets pressed down either before mailing or during the mailing process, but the surface of the cards have been ruined (think a tiny little dent in the surface of the card, like if a piece of sea salt had been pressed into it). Anyway, be careful, guys.

Yes, I've had that happen too. They're easy to spot before use, so I personally throw those out, but you can't stop what comes to you that way obviously.
 

WCTYSON

Well-known member
Nov 3, 2014
7,364
171
Just as a heads up for those looking at 55pt. top loaders. I usually buy them by the case for the year, but they are currently much more expensive at the moment. It likely has to do with the current supply chain from China, but online prices have increased if you can find them. Your best bet, if you have a shop near by, is to try and buy them locally.
 

banjar

Well-known member
Mar 22, 2015
2,540
883
Lafayette, Colorado
I'd also be glad to take some of the 1-touch holders, especially the ones for normal thickness cards. Shoot me a PM whenever, can pay freight directly thru paypal. Thanks!
 

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