An in-depth guide to penny sleeves
Have you ever wondered what “penny sleeves” are or how they are used to protect your sports and trading cards? If so, you are in the right place. Let’s start with the basics. Penny sleeves are thin, transparent, non-rigid, sports and trading card holders made from polypropylene. If you are passionate about collecting trading cards, these inexpensive transparent sleeves are a must-have.
What are the benefits of using penny sleeves?
Penny sleeves are generally used as the primary layer of protection between the card and the environment. In some cases, penny sleeves are used as standalone protection against fingerprints and general card wear and tear. Often collectors will use penny sleeves independently to protect their lower-value cards (often referred to as commons). However, in most cases, penny sleeves are combined with other types of protective holders (i.e., semi-rigid card holders, top-loaders, magnetic card holders, or screw card holders) for maximum protection. Either way, modern day penny sleeves (PVC free) are a critical component in protecting your card collection.
Why are they called penny sleeves?
It’s highly likely that penny sleeves got their name from their relatively low cost. If you purchase penny sleeves in bulk quantities, you can still get your hands on these sleeves for less than a penny.
Are there different types of “penny sleeves”?
The simple answer to this question, is yes, but let’s dig in a bit.
Standard penny sleeves
Most commonly, penny sleeves are made to secure standard-size trading cards (2.5in x 3.5in) with a thickness around 35pt (depending on the brand). However, a variety of new penny sleeves are being produced to keep up with the ever-increasing diversity in card sizes (e.g., patch and other memorabilia cards). In most cases, penny sleeves will have 3 to 5 millimeters of space between the edge of the card and the edge of the card sleeve once the card is inserted. This greatly reduces the risk of corner damage when inserting a card into the sleeve. It’s also a good idea to invest in simple card measuring tools to ensure you select the right sleeve for your card. A card thickness gauge and/or a ruler are really all you need to make certain you are selecting the right sleeve.
Perfect or exact fit penny sleeves
Perfect fit penny sleeves, as you probably guessed, are sleeves that have nearly no excess space in them once the card is inserted. You are probably wondering why anyone would use these sleeves – right? While there are several reasons to use perfect fit sleeves, the number one reason is likely aesthetics. If you are going to be placing your card in a magnetic case, or another type of displayable holder, this will provide for a very clean look as the penny sleeve be nearly invisible in the holder due to the tight fit. Unfortunately, perfect fit penny sleeves can be a challenge to work with and can increase the risk of corner damage. In addition to this, it makes removing the card from the sleeve far more difficult compared to a standard penny sleeve. That said, it’s probably best to only use perfect fit sleeves if you are going to be displaying your card or will be storing it long term, but you will need to exercise some additional caution when inserting your card into a perfect fit sleeve.
Special note: For the reasons outlined above, you should never ship your cards to a grading company in perfect fit penny sleeves.
Corner-cut penny sleeves
One of the pitfalls of some penny sleeves is the potential of damaging card corners or edges when attempting to slide the card into the sleeve. This especially holds true when using perfect fit sleeves (outlined above). Corner cut penny sleeves, as the name implies, have one corner (on the top of the sleeve) that is cut at an angle, which greatly improves ease of use. While these specialized penny sleeves tend to cost a bit more, they can greatly reduce the risk of corner damage during card insertion.
TCG penny sleeves / playable sleeves
Yes, there are even penny sleeves specifically designed for TCG gamers. If you would like to add a bit of protection to the cards in your TCG deck these sleeves are for you. The front of these sleeves is completely transparent so you can see the front of the card, but the back of the card sleeve is a solid color, translucent, or may have a graphic that hides the back of the card. The back of these sleeves tends to be a bit thicker than normal penny sleeves providing a bit more rigidity to the sleeve. However, there is some downside to these sleeves as well. They tend to get scratched and begin sticking together after a few uses, so they may have to be replaced on semi-regular basis for optimal clarity and playability.
Conclusion
Penny sleeves are an affordable option for protecting your sports and trading cards. By coupling penny sleeves with semi-rigid, top-loaders, or other types of hard cases you can create a great protective environment. If you are looking to ship your cards in for grading, we recommend checking out our article on prepping and shipping your cards.
Happy Collecting
