News from www.bcwsupplies.com

BCW introduces a line of Coin & Currency Supplies!

2007-06-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

BCW is proud to announce a new line of collecting supplies for coins and currency. The new line of numismatic supplies includes Protective Pages, Currency Holders, Coin Tubes, Coin Flips, and Coin Slabs.

BCW now offers 20 pocket pages for coins and 3 pocket pages for currency in both heavy weight vinyl and polypropylene. Rigid and semi-rigid vinyl holders are available for currency, and there are 2" x 2" paper and vinyl flips now available for coins. In addition, BCW is also offering coin tubes and coin slabs. The coin slabs feature color-coded foam inserts to help organize your coin collection.

Look for additional numismatic supplies from BCW coming soon!

BCW Comic Index Dividers

2007-06-05T07:09:00.000-07:00

Have you ever looked at one of your comic storage boxes and wondered what was in it? With BCW's new Comic Index Divider system you won't have to wonder any longer. BCW's Comic Index Divider is a 28 point archival safe polypropylene comic divider with a write-on index tab that is numbered from 1 to 498. At a glance you'll know whether Spiderman Vol. 1 #56 Disaster is in your comic book collection or not. There is even a space to write in the issue price. BCW Comic Index Dividers are a great way to organize your comic book collection.

BCW's Comic Index Dividers are available in packs of 10 and will fit any standard size comic storage box. There is even a FREE BCW Comic Index Divider included in every pack of standard BCW Comic Dividers.

The BCW Long Comic House is Now Available!

2007-03-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

Hot on the heels of the tremendously popular BCW Short Comic House comes the new BCW Long Comic House.

The BCW Long Comic House is a reinforced outer shell into which any standard size long comic box (sold separately) will slide. This combination allows you to stack boxes up to six high, while still being able to instantly access any of the drawer’s contents without rearranging stacks of heavy comic boxes.

The BCW Long Comic House consists of two parts: the drawer, which is any standard long comic box, and the shell, which consists of an outer sleeve and an insert for reinforcement. This makes the BCW Long Comic House sturdy.

For more information about the BCW Long Comic House, or, to see how the Comic House is assembled, please see our video on YouTube.com.

BCW Introduces the Comic House!

2007-01-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

The BCW Short Comic House is a reinforced outer shell into which a short comic box (sold separately) will slide. This combination allows you to stack boxes up to six boxes high, while still being able to instantly access any of the drawer’s contents without rearranging stacks of heavy comic boxes.

The BCW Short Comic House consists of two parts: the drawer, which is any regular short comic box (sold separately), and the shell, which consists of an outer sleeve and an inner sleeve for reinforcement, which makes the BCW Short Comic House sturdy.

Look for the Long Comic House coming soon!

BCW Diversified, Inc. Acquires Ohio Coin Investments

2007-01-22T12:38:00.000-08:00

Monday, September 18, 2006
Anderson, Indiana — BCW Diversified, Inc., announced today its acquisition of Ohio Coin Investments the premier Midwest distributor of collecting supplies headquartered in Springfield, Ohio. BCW Diversified is one the leading manufacturers of collecting and hobby supplies. BCW’s products are available through their two websites, bcwsupplies.com (retail) and bcwdirect.com (wholesale) and from national distributors.
BCW provides high quality, cost effective hobby supplies and unparalleled service. “We always provide the best possible value to our customers who care about quality hobby supplies, and we want to provide them with the best possible service. This acquisition allows us to expand our product line in coin collecting as well as offering our line of collecting products to Ohio Coin’s customers”, said Eric Brownell Vice President of BCW.
Ohio Coin offers a full line of hobby supplies, including Collector Safe, Ballqube, Pro-Mold, Pro-Tech & Classic. "Our clients will benefit from their tightly integrated product lines," said Barry Brooks, President of Ohio Coin, ”in addition to the considerable skills of BCW." Brownell echoed Brooks’ sentiments.

BCW Comic Extenders Are Now Available!

2006-07-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

BCW ® Comic Book Extenders will help prevent yellowing, retards the aging process, and absorbs and neutralizes the contaminants in comic book pages. These 10 mil sheets go inside the book, next to the paper and ink ¼ one fourth of the way in from the front and back covers, only two sheets per book are necessary!

Combined with our 2 or 4 mil BCW ® Comic Mylar® Bags and our BCW ® Certified Acid Free Backing Boards for stiffness and proven acid-neutralizing quality, you can't do any better to preserve your valuable collection. BCW Comic Book Extenders will extend the life of your comic and are an inexpensive alternative without sacrificing quality protection.

Helps prevent yellowing
Slows the Aging Process
Absorbs and Neutralizes Contaminants in Comic Book Pages.
10 mil thick sheets & Coated on 2 sides
Only two sheets per book are necessary!

Corrugated Plastic Comic Boxes Now Available

2006-06-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

BCW Corrugated Plastic Comic Boxes are now available. The BCW Corrugated Plastic Comic Box is the highest quality, most competitively priced corrugated plastic storage box on the market today. BCW Corrugated Plastic Comic Boxes are constructed entirely of plastic.

BCW Corrugated Plastic Comic Boxes come in both Long and Short versions, feature double wall construction, hold 150 - 175 comic books, and they are stackable. BCW Corrugated Plastic Comic Boxes are water resistant and vermin resistant. BCW Corrugated Plastic Comic Boxes are available in both black and white.

Stand-Up Toploaders now available

2006-06-01T05:53:00.000-07:00

Mylar Comic Books Sleeves added to line of Comic Book Storage Accessories

2006-05-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

BCW is pleased to announce that we have added Mylar® Comic Bags to our popular line of Comic Accessories. The new comic bags are available in 2 mil thickness for Current, Silver Age, and Golden Age comic books. The new Mylar® Comic Bags are also available in a 4 mil thickness for Current, Silver Age, and Golden Age comic books.

These Comic Book Bags are made of Archival Polyester (Mylar®) which is an inert material of the highest clarity. Mylar® will not discolor, damage, or adhere to items placed inside it. It is a sturdy film that beautifully displays, timelessly protects and gives extra support to fragile documents. Resistant to moisture, insect attack, fungus, mold, mildew, acid, oils, grease, and solvents, Mylar® contains no dangerous plasticizers, slip additives, surface coatings, antioxidants, acid-hydrolysis. This bag is a semi-rigid bag that does not require the use of a backer board and will protect your valuable comic books for hundreds of years.

Magazine Mylar Sleeves added to line of Magazine Storage Accessories

2006-05-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to introduce Mylar® Magazine Bags by BCW. There are two new Mylar® Magazine bags that are currently available. They are the 2 mil Mylar® Magazine Bag, and the 4 mil Mylar® Magazine bag.

These Magazine Bags are made of Archival Polyester (Mylar®) an inert material of the highest clarity. Mylar® will not discolor, damage, or adhere to items placed inside it. It is a sturdy film that beautifully displays, timelessly protects and gives extra support to fragile documents. Resistant to moisture, insect attack, fungus, mold, mildew, acid, oils, grease, and solvents, Mylar® contains no dangerous plasticizers, slip additives, surface coatings, antioxidants, acid-hydrolysis. This bag is a semi-rigid bag which does not require the use of a backer board and will protect your valuable comic books for hundreds of years.

BCW announces Marketing Partnership with BallQube®

2006-04-17T07:15:00.000-07:00

BCW Diversified, Inc. is pleased to announce that they have entered into a marketing partnership with BallQube®, Inc. BallQube® products are now available via the internet’s premier destination for hobby supplies, www.bcwsupplies.com.

BCW will be carrying the BallQube® Hat Holder, Grandstand Baseball Holder, Grandstand Football Holder, Football Holder, Basketball / Soccer Ball Holder, Grandstand Basketball / Soccer Ball Holder, Football Helmet Holder, and Mini Helmet Holder. All of these BallQube® brand products are also available through BCW with UV protection.

BallQube®, Inc. has been the innovative leader in display cases for sports memorabilia and other collectibles since 1987. BallQube® display cases are made of durable crystal styrene. They are cubic in shape and slide together on beveled edges. These clear, unique containers provide an attractive way to store and display your collectibles while protecting them as well.

The agreement was reached as BCW was looking for a high quality, cost effective, domestically made line of memorabilia holders to compliment their successful line of acrylic memorabilia displays. BallQube®, Inc., having secured a patent for their product line, had been looking to expand their distribution into the hobby supply market.

BCW was founded in 1983 and serves over 5 million customers worldwide. For over 20 years BCW has been manufacturing and distributing high quality products designed to store, protect, and display, the collectors’ most prized possessions. Whether you are just around the corner, or half way around the world, BCW is committed to providing you with the highest quality, most cost effective hobby supplies available anywhere.

Wall Mount Memorabilia Display Cases

2006-04-14T05:23:00.000-07:00

BCW is proud to announce that we have added a wall mount feature to our most popular Deluxe Acrylic Displays. This new feature is now available on the Deluxe Acrylic Mini Helmet Display, the Deluxe Acrylic Football Helmet Display, the Deluxe Acrylic Football Display, and the Deluxe Acrylic Basketball Display. All of the BCW Deluxe Acrylic Displays are made of high clarity acrylic and offer UV protection.

MLBPA and BCW team up to promote collecting

2006-04-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

Major League Baseball Player's Association's popular Boy Scout collecting program, which up until now has been mostly regional, is being rolled out nation-wide and is now called "Baseball Card Clubhouse". The Baseball Card Clubhouse program makes it very easy for store owners to host Boy Scout meetings. Retailer's can teach scouts about collecting and even help them earn a merit badge.

The MLBPA's Baseball Card Clubhouse program provides retailers with a collector's tin, several packs of trading cards, and a booklet on collecting for each Boy Scout that will be attending a scout meeting at a hobby store, free of charge. The retailer can then explain the benefits of collecting and answer any questions that the scouts might have.

As of today BCW Supplies and the MLBPA have reached an agreement. Each time the MLBPA sends collector kits at the retailer's request, a pack of BCW Card Sleeves will be provided for each scout that participates in the program.

If you would like to participate in the program please contact the Major League Baseball Player's Association.

Major League Baseball Player's Association
12 East 49th Street
24th Floor
New York, NY 10017
212-826-0809

A few more words on collecting sports cards

2006-02-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

In addition to online auctions such as ebay, your local card shop, and card shows, there are other resources available to you to help complete your set or find a particular card to add to your collection. These resources include sports card trading forums, such as traderretreat.com. Trading forums are a good place to find other collectors who may have some of the cards that you are looking for, and you may have cards that other forum members are searching for as well. Trading forums, or communities, provide a central location for collectors around the world to conduct their trades where the transactions are monitored by the administrators of the forum.

In many cases, the community members are ranked based on the number of trades completed, and the community members have feedback from each of the transactions that he or she has conducted on the forum. Some of the trading forums even have a reimbursement policy for trades that were not completed with other community members as agreed. Many of the trading forums also offer articles about collecting, such as box break reviews, projected release dates, and other information. Some of the trading forums have arranged special discounts with manufacturers and they frequently run contests to reward their members with great cards and hobby supplies.

The internet is full of great resources for collectors (you’re using it now!) and trading card forums are one of the best resources found on the web.

A few words on Collecting Sports Cards

2006-01-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

Collecting baseball cards is fun, exciting, and educational, but more importantly, it can be great investment!

Steps:
Decide what you want to collect - new cards, old cards, or cards from one company, cards of one team or one player. The options and varieties are endless!

Start by researching about the card you want to collect on the internet. Check out prices on websites, like eBay. You can definitely get some great deals.

Go to a local baseball card shop or local merchant if you are looking for new cards.

Branch out and explore card shows and conventions. They usually have hundreds of dealers selling cards and other memorabilia. Sign up to be notified of upcoming shows.

Create "want lists" of cards you are looking for. This can make your card "shopping" much easier.

Subscribe to hobby publications such as "Sports Collector's Digest" or "Tuff Stuff."

Consider buying a price guide to use as a reference.

Remember to store your cards safely - Cardboard Boxes and/or polypropylene sleeves, or rigid PVC holders work well. If you want to "show" your cards or plan on looking at them often, polypropylene pages, which generally hold nine cards per page, per side, are often best.

Befriend local merchants that carry baseball cards and ask them to call you when new shipments come in.

Check out garage sales - you may get lucky!

The price of cards is affected by many things. In general, cards are more expensive if they are in mint condition, are old, are in rare supply and/or portray a star player (especially if it is a rookie card).

Pay attention to "condition." A card that is "like new" will be graded as Gem Mint. Card condition goes down from there, following this scale: Mint, Near Mint-Mint, Near Mint, Excellent-Mint, Excellent, Very Good-Excellent (VG-Ex), Very Good (VG), Good (G) and Poor to Fair.
Avoid storing your cards in extreme conditions - high/low humidity and direct light (sun or fluorescent lights) can hasten the decomposition and reduce the quality of your cards.

Set a budget before going into a card show or store - the buying frenzy can get carried away!

If you're looking for on an online auction, you may find one set of items listed under "baseball card" and another set listed under "baseball cards."

When choosing a 3-ring binder to store your plastic sheets in, make sure it is a D-ring binder, not an O-ring. With an O-ring binder, the rings will bend the cards when you close it. This will not happen with a D-ring.

Never buy a bundle of cards from a merchant unless they allow you to see the cards sometimes there are cards in the bundle that are poor to fair.

2005-12-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

Protecting and Store Wiz kids Pirates © 2005 Wiz Kids Inc Collectible Ships & Cards

Just a few notes on protecting and storing of Pirate Ships and Cards. The best way to store you ships once they are assembled is to leave them assembled. Assembling and dis-assembling your ships will quickly damage them, best to leave them assembled. But what do you keep them in?

BCW® Gaming Box SKU: GBC

The BCW Gaming Box is the highest quality, most competitively priced cardboard gaming box on market today. It will store up to 60 gaming figures like: MageKnight, Mechwarrior, HeroClix, Pirates, Star Wars Miniatures, Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures, Lord of the Rings Tradable Miniatures Game, Clout, and others. It is constructed of white corrugated paper and has a 200 lb. test strength. Use this box to store, protect, and transport all your valuable collectible gaming miniatures. This unique design has many features that our competitors do not!- Cardboard Corrugated Materials- Unique foam designed to maximize storage- L 10 1/4 X W 12 3/4 X H 4 closed- L 20 1/2 X W 12 3/4 X H 2 opened- Holds approximately:Pirates 30+ fully assembled ships! - Brilliant white- High quality- Stackable- Most complete gaming box available!

The BCW Gaming Box will hold up to 30 fully assembled pirate ships. You can also store the “deck plate” along with the ship. It is best to place the mast of the ships into the cut pads, place the “deck plate behind the ship. What a great way to store and transport your gaming pieces.

What about other cards. I would recommend story cards in a BCW toploader. Check out the table below to figure out which toploader to use.

1 Card use the TLCH-TH-1.5MM
2 Cards use the TLCH-TH-2MM
3 Cards use the TLCH-TH-3.5MM

All BCW toploads are:
Known as the most popular rigid individual card holder in the collectible card industry. Use this product to coordinate, protect, store or display collectible cards.
The PVC used in BCW Toploads contains no plasticizers or stearates. Our high impact grade PVC does not migrate and will not harm your cards, photos or prints, while offering maximum protection and visual appeal.
- Crystal clear
- Made of high impact rigid PVC
- Mix and Match for Qty. Discount

Dimensions
- Outside 3 x 4 1/16
- Inside 2 3/4 x 3 7/16

Some Comments on Storing and Protecting Comic Books

2005-12-21T11:32:00.000-08:00

Classification of Comic Books:
Comics are classified into 3 major categories, Victorian Age, Platinum Age, and Modern Age. Comic books came into existence during the Modern Age of comics in February of 1934 with the release of Eastern Color Printing's Famous Funnies #1, Series 1. The Modern Age of comics is classified into 4 sub-categories, Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age, and Modern Age (Bronze Age and Modern Age comic books are also referred to as "Current" comics).

Victorian Age - 1795 to 1899

Platinum Age - 1897 to 1938

Modern Age - 1929 to Present

Golden Age - 1934 to 1955 (BCW Golden Age Comic Bags & Backing Boards)

Silver Age - 1956 to 1969 (BCW Silver Age Comic Bags & Backing Boards)
Bronze Age - 1970 to 1979 (BCW Current Comic Bags & Backing Boards)

Modern Age - from 1980 to Present (BCW Current Comic Bags & Backing Boards)

You will need to determine which of the 4 categories of the Modern Age of comics that your comic book falls under to be sure to get the proper size of comic bags and backing boards. We suggest that you measure your comic book or refer to the copyright date to determine which category your comic book falls under.

Comic Book Bags:
The National Archives and Records Administration specified the following with regard to the long-term storage and preservation:

"Look for plastic enclosures made from uncoated pure polyethylene, polypropylene or polyester (also called Mylar D or Melinex 516). These are considered stable and non-damaging."

BCW Brand comic book bags are made of uncoated virgin polypropylene.

Resealable Comic Book Bags:

Resealable comic book bags can be sealed in two ways:
1. with the adhesive strip on the tab
2. with the adhesive strip on the bag

Which is better?
If the adhesive strip is on the tab it is possible to catch the comic on the adhesive strip when you slide you comic in or out of the bag, possibly damaging the comic. BCW places the adhesive strip on the bag to avoid possible damage to the comic. Just one of the many ways BCW thinks ahead for you the collector.

Comic Book Backing Boards:

Comic Book Backing Boards come in different
thicknesses and acid-free properties. The basic purpose for using a backing board is to give the comic some stiffness, which helps keep the comic pages from bending, creasing or wrinkling. When a backing is placed in the center of the comic it protects the comic book spine from crushing.

The second purpose for using a backing board in a comic is its potential to neutralize acid in the comic book paper. Acid in the paper that the comic is printed can cause the deterioration of the comic. Using an acid-free backing in your comic can potentially trap and neutralize acid in the paper.

BCW offers only one type of comic backing boards: archival quality comic book backings. Archival comic backing material is acid-free and buffered with calcium carbonate, which means that it will remain archival for 100's of years.
BCW’s Comic Backing Boards are independently laboratory certified. This means that BCW’s Backing Boards have been rigorously tested and have been certified acid free. Many companies claim their boards are acid free. However with out testing and rigorous quality control you can not be sure of what you are getting.

Most comic books are printed on newsprint. This includes all comic books printed prior to Modern Age, as well
as some Modern Age books. The reason that you need to change the backing boardsis that the newsprint that most comic books are printed on has been bleached with acid prior to printing, and some of the acid from the bleach remains in the paper. The backing boards are coated with calcium carbonate so that they absorb the acid that migrates from the book. You will want to store them away from sunlight and in a cool dry place because sunlight, heat, and moisture can accelerate the acid migration process.

It is recommended that you change your comic book boards and comic book bags every 5 - 7 years.

BCW Supplies

2005-12-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

News from the collectible supplies website www.bcwsupplies.com. BCW carries a complete line of collecting supplies to protect, store or display your collection.