Card Sleeves are a heavy gauge poly-bag that is slightly larger than a football card.

The sleeve protects your cards from scratches and other surface damage to maintain the card in mint condition.

Card sleeves are really useful for a few reasons:

1. They are extremely affordable at just a few dollars for a packet of 100 sleeves, but even better is the fact that they fit inside Ultra Pro Top Loaders for even more protection.
2. And card sleeves are great for collectors because they are crystal clear and allow you to see both the front and back of your card, maintaining maximum visibility.

Like all Ultra Pro accessories, Card Sleeves are acid free and contain absolutely no PVC, which is important for collectors because it means your cards will be protected for many years to come.

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All the Ultra Pro Accessories mentioned in this newsletter are available at great prices on our website at:

http://www.footystars.com.au/store/ultrapro-c-25.html

Each issue we highlight a different Ultra Pro item, taking a look at who uses it and why, and discussing if it will suit your requirements.

Sometimes, common sense is not so common. I’m sure you’ve seen this in your time.

We often write about the range of options available to collectors to protect their investment. Unfortunately some people just can’t be helped… they’ve got no common sense.

Back when I was a boy the only way to protect your cards was to put them inside your lunch box and keep them together with a thick red rubber band like you get from the post office. Needless to say, most of those cards belong on the scrap heap today.

Unfortunately we receive regular emails from people suggesting that they don’t need to protect their cards with proper accessories.

One case in point was an email we recently received from “Danny” (name changed to protect the guilty).

Danny told us about his disappointment when he realised his collection of cards from the last few years had been bent like a subtle C shape and how many of them had stuck together.

When we asked how he was storing his cards, he wrote back telling us proudly that he keeps them “safe” in an old shoe box at the top of his wardrobe.

As Homer Simpson would say… Doh.

It should be no surprise to anyone that Danny’s cards were damaged.

Thankfully, companies like Ultra Pro make an entire range of protection and display holders for your cards.

If you’ve been a subscriber to this newsletter for any length of time you know that we only use and recommend Ultra Pro accessories.

In my opinion, they offer the best protection at very reasonable prices. They are a small investment to protect your favourite cards… and in my opinion it’s a common sense decision to use them.

The most popular method of protecting your cards are the 9 Pocket Pages from Ultra Pro which slot right into the official folders from Select (in fact the pages will fit in virtually any folder).

The Platinum Series pages are easily distinguishable from cheap imitations because they display the distinctive Ultra Pro Hologram in the top left hand corner.

The 9 Pocket Pages are the perfect size for cards produced by Select; including

• the AFL and NRL Champions,
• AFL Pinnacle,
• AFL Classic,
• AFL Supreme,
• AFL Dynasty,
• NRL Classic,
• NRL Centenary,
• NRL Invincible, and
• NRL Power Series cards.

They also fit the A-League Series Cards and the ACB Cricket Cards produced by Select. These cards all measure 2.5 x 3.5 inches and fit perfectly.

The cards released as part of the Herald Sun and Daily Telegraph collections will fit inside the pages, but not snugly… they are smaller than standard size.

One important point for collectors is that Ultra Pro pages are acid free and contain absolutely no PVC. It means your cards will be protected for many years to come because acid and PVC can leach into your cards, making them fade, stick to the page and be quickly destroyed.

The high clarity heavy gauge polypropylene makes for super strong pockets with solid seams and each page lays flat so your cards will stay in first class condition.

Best of all, being clear on both sides means you never need to remove your cards from the sleeve again and you can still enjoy flipping through your collection without the need to worry about damaging your cards.

These are available in a 10 page pack or 100 page Box from our shop.

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Ultra Pro Accessories are the best way to protect your collection and they are available at great prices on our website at: Ultra Pro Accessories

Each month we highlight a different Ultra Pro item, taking a look at who uses it and why, and discussing if it will suit your requirements.

To preserve the quality of your cards, especially your more valuable cards you need to consider Top Loaders as your first option.

There are a few manufacturers of Top Loaders, but in my opinion Ultra Pro make the best quality product at a fantastic price. We use Ultra Pro top loaders every day at Footy Stars and it’s the brand we send our cards in when you purchase from the Footy Stars online store.

We have two kinds of top loaders available.  Regular and Thick.

Regular Top Loaders are suitable for virtually all cards manufactured by Select Australia.  They fit all standard thickness cards and are one of our most popular accessories.

Thick Top Loaders are made for cards up to 55pts in thickness.  These are best for cards like the Jersey Insert cards that Select produced in 2003 which are slightly thicker than standard cards (because they have a piece of jersey inserted in the card).

All Ultra Pro Top Loaders are specially made for trading cards in a clear semi-rigid plastic.

By semi-rigid I mean they bend — but only a little. Being clear they still allow you to view both sides of your card so you never need to remove your card from its protection again. 

The Top Loader keeps your card safe and it also makes it less likely your card will be creased or folded. It protects all sides and corners from damage.

Only one card fits in a Top Loader.  You should never put more than one card in a top loader because you run the risk of damaging your cards — it’s just not worth it.

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Ultra Pro Accessories are the best way to protect your collection and they are available at great prices on our website at: Ultra Pro Accessories

Each month we highlight a different Ultra Pro item, taking a look at who uses it and why, and discussing if it will suit your requirements.

The perfect way to complete your collection is to get your hands on the Official Album.

Both the AFL Classic and NRL Centenary releases have their own albums that match the footy card design.

The AFL folder is similar to previous years, but the NRL folder is something VERY different to any of the previous folders… but more on that shortly.

Regardless of whether you have an AFL or NRL album, you should combine it with Ultra Pro 9 Pocket Pages.  This is the best way to not only protect your collection from dirt, dust and damage, but they also provide you with an attractive way to show your cards off to friends and other collectors.

If you protect your cards properly using quality accessories and they will provide you with a lifetime of enjoyment.

Click here for the AFL Classic Folder for 2008.

The NRL Centenary of Rugby League Card Album is something SPECIAL.

This beautifully designed, high quality album is emblazoned with the Centenary of Rugby League logo on the front cover and it comes with a bonus album card.

The bonus album card depicts the Gladiators; Norm Provan and Arthur Summons as seen below.

This album is strictly limited to only 5000 units and has proved very popular already.

Take a look at the NRL Centenary Folder by clicking here:

If you still need a folder from one of the previous releases We have a limited supply of folders from 2005, 2006 and 2007.  Check them out by clicking here:

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Ultra Pro Accessories are the best way to protect your collection and they are available at great prices on our website at: Ultra Pro Accessories

Each month we highlight a different Ultra Pro item, taking a look at who uses it and why, and discussing if it will suit your requirements.

With the 2008 Series 2 Footy Cards about to be released, it’s the perfect time to discuss Ultra Pro Team Bags.

These team bags are an affordable way to store and protect your team sets.

If you’re thinking of buying a Box of AFL or NRL footy cards this year you should also be thinking of getting some team bags to store your sets.

There are 100 bags included for the price of just $5.95 which makes them extremely affordable for any collector (that’s just $0.06 per bag).

They are archival quality, have a resealable opening and of course contain no PVC.

Each bag comfortably holds approximately 10 to 25 cards making them perfect for AFL Classic and NRL Centenary.

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All the Ultra Pro Accessories mentioned in this newsletter are available at great prices on our website at:
Ultra Pro Accessories

Each month we highlight a different Ultra Pro item, taking a look at who uses it and why, and discussing if it will suit your requirements.

The world’s best protective pages are from Ultra Pro… we all know that, but did you know they are also available as 8 Pocket Pages for cards with a horizontal orientation?

That’s right… they are available!

Each page holds 8 landscape printed cards and offers superior protection for the life of your collection.

They are perfect for keeping your special insert cards that are printed horizontally which means every footy card collector needs some.

The Platinum Series pages are easily distinguishable from cheap imitations. They display the distinctive Ultra-Pro Hologram in the top left hand corner.

The high clarity heavy gauge polypropylene makes for super strong pockets with solid seams and each page lays flat so your cards will stay in first class condition.

Best of all, with the 8 Pocket Pages from Ultra Pro you can still enjoy flipping through your collection without the need to worry about damaging your cards, and that’s always a good thing.

Containing absolutely no PVC materials means your cards will not be damaged whilst kept in the pockets.

With professionally punched holes down the side these pages fit in virtually any folder.

Whether you’re serious collector or just starting out, these are a must have item.

Check out the 10 Pack in our store.

Or if you have a large collection you might want to consider the Box of 100 pages.

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All the Ultra Pro Accessories mentioned in this newsletter are available at great prices on our website at:
Ultra Pro Accessories

Each month we highlight a different Ultra Pro item, taking a look at who uses it and why, and discussing if it will suit your requirements.

Given the Premiership Redemption Cards were released in December 2007, many collectors will be looking for the best way to keep their set safe and in first class condition.

This month’s featured protection method is also a fantastic way to display your collection… on your wall or desk.

We’re talking about a 3 Card Holder from Ultra-Pro.

This card holder looks so good because of the bold black outline around each card.

Punctuating the bold black outlines are 8 striking gold coloured screws which add a touch of class to the finished display.

The Card Holder is made of 2 pieces of clear rigid-plastic held together with the gold coloured screws.

The clear rigid-plastic pieces have a recessed area to hold and protect your cards from being creased or folded , and it also protects the sides and corners from damage.

Being clear (except for the stunning bold black outlines) they still allow you to view both sides of your cards — allowing you to retain maximum visibility at all times.

For me, these card holders are the perfect way to show off your favourite cards.

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All the Ultra Pro Accessories mentioned in this newsletter at great prices on our website at:
http://www.footystars.com.au/store/ultrapro-c -25.html

Each month we highlight a different Ultra Pro item, taking a look at who uses it and why, and discussing if it will suit your requirements.

Normally in this section we talk about Ultra Pro Accessories… but this month… something a tiny bit different, but still related to Ultra Pro.

This month we will take a quick look at the Official Footy Card Folders produced by Select with each new Series release.

We personally use the Official Folders to keep our personal collection in first class condition.

Combined with Ultra Pro 9 Pocket Pages, the Official Folders not only protect your collection from dirt, dust and damage, they provide you with an attractive presentation folder that you can use to show your cards to friends and other collectors.

The front design of the folders matches the design of the cards integrating the entire package into one neat place.

To see AFL Folders from 2005, 2006 and 2007 click here:

To see the NRL Folders from 2006 and 2007 click here:

One thing is certain… protect your cards properly using quality accessories and they will provide you with a lifetime of enjoyment.

—————
All the Ultra Pro Accessories mentioned in this newsletter at great prices on our website at:
http://www.footystars.com.au/store/ultrapro-c -25.html

Each month we highlight a different Ultra Pro item, taking a look at who uses it and why, and discussing if it will suit your requirements.

The latest addition to our Ultra Pro range has gained huge popularity in the world of card collecting in a very short space of time.

I’m referring to the new One-Touch Magnetic Card Holder.

Similar to the Screwdown range that we’ve mentioned in this newsletter a few times before, the magnetic One-Touch uses a small magnet located at the top to hold the 2 pieces together instead of a screw.

The one touch magnetic holders have a recessed area to fit the card so that the card isn’t squashed between the two pieces of plastic — instead it merely sits between the two halves in the recessed area.

Even better than that… it has Diamond Corners to prevent damage to the corners of your cards.

Just to clarify before our female readers go crazy over this… the corners don’t actually have diamonds in them… they are diamond shaped!

The diamond shape means that the corners of your card will never come into contact with the holder itself, thereby protecting the corners from damage.

The advantages for collectors are that you can gain access to your card much faster than a screwdown (you no longer need a screw driver to open the holder), and it gives a much neater appearance in my opinion.

The one touch magnetic makes it virtually impossible for your card to be creased or folded, and it protects the sides and corners from damage.

If you would like to see what these one touch magentic holders look like please click here.

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All the Ultra Pro Accessories mentioned in this newsletter at great prices on our website at:
http://www.footystars.com.au/store/ultrapro-c-25.html

Each month we highlight a different Ultra Pro item, taking a look at who uses it and why, and discussing if it will suit your requirements.