Pokemon Card Sleeves Buying Guide
The following are the top things that you need to consider when buying Pokemon card sleeves. By doing so, you’ll end up getting the right protection for your cards, without spending more than you have to.
1. Sleeve transparency
Pokemon card sleeves are either all clear or colored backs. This is mainly an aesthetic feature that’s a matter of personal preference. However, we don’t prefer colored sleeves for multiple reasons.
First of all, you can’t see both sides of the cards when you’re using those color sleeves. While this might not matter for both people, we feel that this kind of ruins the overall look of the cards.
One thing to keep in mind though is that colored sleeves tend to be a little bit more durable. This is probably because the colored side of the sleeve is thicker, and gives more “structural strength”. When you hold one of those in your hand, you’ll immediately understand what we’re talking about.
2. Glossy vs. matte finish
The finish is another thing that you should keep in mind when choosing sleeves for your Pokemon cards. These sleeves come in a matte and glossy finish. Of course, some people might prefer the matte and others might prefer the glossy finish. However, there are more differences between them asides from the look.
For some reason -probably because of the glossy material, glossy sleeves can be a little bit “sticky” when you pile them together. When you come back to your piled and sleeved pokemon cards after a while, you’ll notice that the sleeves are a little bit stuck to each other.
While this is not a huge deal, it can be a little bit annoying. Another that we don’t like about those glossy sleeves is that the gloss can be a little bit distracting from the card’s artwork.
We’re big fans of many TCG and we appreciate the artwork. So, not being able to see these masterpieces clearly because of glossy sleeves is something that we like to avoid.
Of course, you might think that the glossy sleeves look cooler but for us, it’s matte sleeves all the way.
3. Sleeve thickness
This is another major factor when it comes to the quality of a Pokemon cards sleeve. The general rule is that the thicker the sleeve, the more high-quality it is, and the more protection it provides to your cards (makes sense, right?).
The thickness of most premium sleeves ranges between 100 to 140 microns, with colored sleeves more likely to be in the 140-micron range, as the colored side tends to be thicker. However, any sleeve with a thickness of 100 microns or above is more than enough to provide a decent level of protection.
So, as long as you’re sticking to the well-known sleeve manufacturers, you’ll be fine.
