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Page disease

 
While flipping through my 2010 Topps binder for yesterday's post I realized again that I have got to replace many of the pages in it.

I don't know what happened to the pages in that thing. Somehow they are super brittle and they've come apart so easily it's as if they have a disease.

None of my other pages are like this. And these are Ultra Pro pages, which I've always known as the sturdiest and the best quality. I'd expect it from cheaper pages that I often have to buy, or are gifted to me, but not these guys.

The first few pages are in decent shape until we get to the page with numbers 127-135. You can see what I've called "stripping" or "shredding" above the Reid Gorecki card.


That type of thing continues for a few pages as if the disease has spread from the pages closest to each other. The next page:


After a few pages like that, the symptoms clear up for several clean pages. But it's not over yet. There is another grouping of crumbling pages ahead, and in even worse shape.
 

The top of the pages is where the shredding is most prominent. The pages seem really sensitive to handling. Here is another example on the left side (remember, I double-bag most of my pages).



Later in the set is when the individual pockets come apart. I've had lots of experience with this and double-bagging probably helps encourage it, but the vast majority of the pages in my collection hold up to double-bagging very well.

A couple of examples of cards trying to escape:


The back section of the binder, where the inserts and the Traded cards reside are probably the worst of all with cards shifting around with almost nothing to hold them.

I know I'm not being a responsible collector in not tending to this. I often forget about the 2010 Topps set even though I completed it (the last Topps set I completed for a five-year period). It's never been one of my favorites. So when new pages come in, they go to more pressing needs, the Dodgers binder or sets I like more.

But maybe this post will fire me up to eradicate the page disease forever. We can't have it spreading to other binders!

Comments

Paul Theisen said…
I've never had that problem with Ultra Pro. I wonder if you had a production defect that they didn't catch at the factory because the failure mode was delayed? Just checked a couple of my albums for 74 and 76 Topps sets and no issues. Glad you found this so you didn't lose a card!
Jeremya1um said…
I’ve noticed the same thing with some of my pages. The stuff at the tops doesn’t bother me, but when they come out like that, I try to replace them. I would still like to know what causes it. I’m a double bagger for life and I will never admit that double bagging causes it.
I'm having the same type issue, they're disintegrated at the top near the d ring. I'm thinking they might be getting some reflected sunlight and drying out. Not sure, but weird.
Chris said…
Eeek! That is frustrating. I've got a rust problem with my pages/binders but not a disintegration problem. Yet.
Haven't run into that issue yet (I hope that I don't). I have however, found factory defect issues in the past. Because I usually buy my pages by the case it happens. I switched from Ultra Pro as my go to pages to BCW, but still every now and again you'll run into a box where the inner sides split causing the cards to not stay put. Can't stand that either, but at least I know as soon as I am paging the cards, and can replace it.
Nick Vossbrink said…
This is wild. When I went through my childhood collection the Ultra Pro pages were the only ones that survived acceptably. I've not noticed any failures yet in my newer ones but the oldest are only 6-years old now.
Nick said…
That second problem with "escaping" cards happens a lot to me. If it's only the top part of the page I usually just leave it alone, but if the edge is completely off and the card is falling out of the binder, I try to replace it as soon as I can. I'm usually bad about replacing pages just because I have so many and I can't keep track of which ones I need to change out.
Fuji said…
95% of the sets I house in binders are stored in boxes... which are a pain in the butt to access. Yeah I know... what's the point of putting sets in binders if they aren't going to get looked at. Hopefully one day I'll have a wall of bookshelves that will house these sets. Until that day... they are in boxes... and I can only hope my pages aren't diseased. #crossingmyfingers
steelehere said…
Have you checked your 1975 Topps Mini pages that Ultra Pro made specifically for you? Hopefully those are holding up.
night owl said…
The mini pages are fine. Like I said in the post, the pages with the 2010 set are the only ones that are falling apart.
Crocodile said…
Another reason I store mine in boxes.
bbcardz said…
I only have a few binders with cards in them but had never seen/had that problem. Do you use the Ultra Pro Platinum or Silver pages? Or both? fwiw I use the Platinum pages.
beefman said…
I had a lot of similar problems with penny sleeves from Ultra Pro from 2008 - 2013. Hmmm...
Jon said…
Aside from an occasional pocket tear, I've never had any problems with Ultra Pro or BCW.
Bart McClaughry said…
Wow!! Had some pages do the same thing. They came from the same time frame as your sheets. Thanks for the Post!!