About time one of these threads was started.  

from: http://www.franksautographs.com/POLYESTER-POCKETS.html  I am not sure if they are available from other sources.

since toploaders are NOT acid free these are a pretty good option.  It's not a perfect fit ( a bit tight ) & don't provide the same structural protection as toploaders but first impressions are these are great.  With postage savings from being lighter than toploaders they work out to be the same price or slightly cheaper.  I have got some toploader sleeves on order & shall critique them upon arrival.

Thanks James for the link to those polyester pocket's.   Here is a copy of my card backs from my limelight.
Now, lets see some more card backs! 

My Canadian Card Backs

SW Death Squad Commander 12a back
SW Jawa 12a back



SW GDE Stormtrooper 12c back
SW C-3PO GDE 12c back
SW Ben Kenobi GDE 12c back
SW Jawa GDE 12c back



SW Die Cast Tie Fighter 12 back



Star Wars Walking Wind Up R2D2 18 back



SW Snaggletooth 20a back



SW Princess Leia 20b back
SW Death Star Droid 20b back



SW Death Star Droid 20d back



ESB Stormtrooper 21a back
ESB Boba Fett 21a back
ESB Ben Kenobi 21a back



ESB FX-7 (Medical Droid) 31a back
ESB Han Solo (Hoth Outfit) 31a back
ESB IG-88 31a back



ESB Bespin Security Guard White 31b back
ESB Bossk 31b back
ESB FX-7 31b back
ESB Imperial Stormtrooper Hoth 31b back
ESB Luke Skywalker Bespin 31b back
ESB Rebel Soldier Hoth 31b back
ESB Princess Leia Bespin 31b back
ESB Han Solo Hoth 31b back



ESB Yoda 32a back



ESB Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) 32b back



ESB 2-1B 41a back
ESB Dengar 41a back
ESB Rebel Commander 41a back
ESB Han Solo Bespin 41a back
ESB Leia Hoth Outfit 41a back
ESB Ugnaught 41a back
ESB AT-AT Driver 41a back



ESB Boba Fett 41b back
ESB Bossk 41b back
ESB Hammerhead 41b back
ESB Lando Calrissian 41b back
ESB Power Droid 41b back
ESB Leia Hoth Outfit 41b back
ESB Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi 41b back
ESB Darth Vader 41b back
ESB Leia Organa Bespin 41b back
ESB Luke Skywalker Bespin 41b back
ESB Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot 41b back
ESB R5-D4 41b back
ESB Stormtrooper 41b back
ESB Yoda 41b back
ESB Lobot 41b back



ESB IG-88 41c back
ESB Snaggletooth 41c back
ESB Ugnaught 41c back
ESB AT-AT Driver 41c back
ESB Chewbacca 41c back
ESB Imperial Commander 41c back
ESB Imperial Stormtrooper Hoth 41c back
ESB Princess Leia Organa 41c back
ESB Rebel Commander 41c back
ESB Walrus Man 41c back



ESB AT-AT Commander 45 back
ESB Bespin Security Guard (Black) 45 back w/ transition sticker. I may have peeled the other stickers off. I do still have the other 2 stickers.
ESB Luke Skywalker (Hoth Battle Gear) 45 back
ESB Bespin C-3PO Removable Limbs 45 back
ESB Bespin Security Guard (Black) 45 back
ESB Cloud Car Pilot 45 back



ESB Han Solo (Bespin Outfit) 47 back
ESB Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot 47 back
ESB Rebel Soldier Hoth 47 back
ESB Zuckuss 47 back



ROTJ Admiral Ackbar 65a back
ROTJ Biker Scout 65a back
ROTJ Chewbacca 65a back
ROTJ Chief Chirpa 65a back
ROTJ Emperor's Royal Guard 65a back
ROTJ Gamorrean Guard 65a back
ROTJ General Madine 65a back
ROTJ Klaatu 65a back
ROTJ Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard Disguise) 65a back
ROTJ Princess Leia Organa (Boushh Disguise) 65a back
ROTJ Logray (Ewok Medicine Man) 65a back
ROTJ Nien Nunb 65a back
ROTJ Ree-Yees 65a back
ROTJ Squid Head 65a back
ROTJ Weequay 65a back
ROTJ Luke Skywalker 65a back



ROTJ 8D8 65b back
ROTJ Klaatu (in Skiff Guard Outfit) 65b back
ROTJ Nikto 65b back
ROTJ Prune Face 65b back



ROTJ AT-ST Driver 77 back
ROTJ Chewbacca 77 back
ROTJ Darth Vader 77 back
ROTJ Han Solo (in Trench Coat) 77 back
ROTJ Princess Leia Organa (in Combat Poncho) 77 back
ROTJ Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Fighter Pilot) 77 back
ROTJ Rancor Keeper 77 back
ROTJ Teebo 77 back
ROTJ The Emperor 77 back
ROTJ B-Wing Pilot 77 back
ROTJ Wicket W. Warrick 77 back
ROTJ Lumat 77 back
ROTJ Luke Skywalker (Jedi Knight Outfit) 77 back

Nice option A.J. I thought the toploaders I bought would not harm the cardbacks, I will defo double check that mate, thanks :scratch:
@ Clint, that cardback is one of my all time favs, and is stunning mate

Cool idea for a thread James, I wonder if mylar comic bags would be good for long term storage? I totally would have thrown some in your package if I thought about it sooner. I only have a couple card backs, but it's what I use & they fit perfectly, though a little big. Maybe something to consider?

AJ,
Cardback thread Im in. Those pages look nice, do they load from the top or the side? I have a similar style pages and store them in a Binder. It works well for me so I dont think you are losing anything with the sturdiness of them.

Todd

I was hoping you'd see this Todd   They load in from the top. I knew you have a binder set up so I've been looking everywhere for something similar. Maulster brought these to my attention & the concerns about toploaders for long term storage. Pat as far as I know the mylar comic bags are safe as well. I'll wait & see how the toploader sleeves go when they arrive.

Awesome thread, I just started collecting card backs. What are the classifications on the cards; like 41a back? I know what the 41 is but what is the (a) represent? Thank, Jason.

http://theswca.com/images-speci/cardbacks/

Thank you for the link..

cool thread  
 
I hope this thread goes on for quite awhile because I know so little about them . I have quite a few myself but since I don't really collect them they just sit in a stack  
 
I have this Lobot that baffles me and want to know what the deal is with it :
 


 
okay , so its a ROTJ front but only has 48 Star Wars and Empire figures on the back :scratch:  Makes me think that it was a early ROTJ release maby ?
 
but then theres a POTF coin offer on front - weren't they some of the last ROTJ figures  
 
The whole thing just doesn't make any sense to me  
 
I am sure its nothing speacial or rare but I am hoping someone can help my brain make sense of it

Great thread AJ.  

James, that is an early Jedi card you have there. The coin offer stickers can be found on all sorts of cardbacks. I'm sure I read somewhere about some ESB cards being found with them. I guess the promo was used to help shift old stock.

Boomstick66 wrote:

Awesome thread, I just started collecting card backs. What are the classifications on the cards; like 41a back? I know what the 41 is but what is the (a) represent? Thank, Jason.

The link AJ provided is a good start, but the kellerman book really takes it to the next level, and I think most of the cardback guys use the kellerman list. There are a ton of cardback variations and that is just the US versions. Throw in the Non Kenner line and it really expolodes.

Thanks
Todd

Though I would shed a little more light on the a, b variations.  There are a lot but I though I would just start with the US 12 backs for now



12A is on the left
12B is on the right

The differnce is that on the mail away offer at the bottom has been reformated mainly the 2nd column starts with the Address



12C on the left
12 D on the right

12C is the same on the bottom as the 12B,  but the lightsaber instructions are different, with the C version stating "pull saber" instead of "push"
12D has the first sticker in the Star Wars line up, adding 20 more figures to the bottom.  This is also sometimes called a 12/32 cardback.


Not Calaloged but possibly our there would be a couple more variations.

You could have  the 32 back sticker on a 12A,B or 12C back making it technically 2 different variations and we could call the 2nd one a 12E ,  it never occurred to me that it might exist until I started typing this out.  Also there is a  carded figure that has the secret figure offer on a 12 back I think.  So that could be another 3 variations 12A with the sticker, 12B with sticker etc.  I don't have one of these, but this is the back sticker I am referring to on a more common 20 back.





I am happy to go through all the Kenner variations if you guys are interested, and if I miss anything please let me know.  I have a  pretty good grasp on cardbacks but am always looking to learn more.

Thanks
Todd

Edited for clarity 11-27

Please continue to guide us ( or at least me) trough more cardback variations, thanks !

Interesting read, Todd!  

I am looking forward to reading more as well.

A few Luke Bespin Cardbacks I have:

Something else Mark_Yeo showed us about the 12A vs 12B,
not only is

"The differnce is that on the mail away offer at the bottom has been reformated mainly the 2nd column starts with the Address"

Look at the picture of the telescoping light saber to the right of the middle of the cardback under the words "How to Work A Lightsaber".

A 12A back has a very short saber tip.

A 12B back has a longer saber tip that is shown.

For those that haven't seen his limelights- check them out.

I love card backs and think this thread is long over due.
Great 12 backs ToddG. That 12d is a dream. Thanks for the info and variants (fantastic). Thanks AussieJames for the "tip" on 12 backs. I didn't know that.
Kahn: I prefer the Luke 48 backs with the close up, all that baby blue! You cant loose. Comm. Clint: That Canadian Stormtrooper makes me drool.
One thought I had was about how its seems Palitoy card backs are more likely to be missing the name plates. Why the European children liked to cut the names out of the cards I am not sure. I often like cards that have writing or drawing on them and sometimes pay more for them. Everyone used the backs as a checklist. For some reason its interesting for me to see which combination of figs they had.  
I use these "binder pockets" (not sure what to call them. Sleeves?) and have all my card backs in 3 binders. The package say the plastic is Archival quality. From "Staples" brand, so it seems safe. I made labels so I can find specific cards easier. I have liked this system and it seems safe and protected. If someone disagrees I'd be happy to hear why. Maybe its bad plastic?
I have mine separated by Star Wars, Empire, and International cards in one. Jedi, POTF and all my doubles in another. Any Kenner cards that are cut (p.o.p. missing or otherwise badly damaged) from all releases in the last one.



Sorry I can seem to size the pictures well.
Again thanks for the great thread.

"One thought I had was about how its seems Palitoy card backs are more likely to be missing the name plates. Why the European children liked to cut the names out of the cards I am not sure"
All the mail in offers ask for the names to be sent in, there are no POPS. So just like US cards with POPs missing you'll see Palitoy cards with nameplates missing  

eljawa wrote:

From "Staples" brand.

I must have spent 1/2 hr trying to track down a Canadian supplier of archival sleeves this afternoon.  I never thought about "Staples".   I'll have to check to see if the have the dbl. 6x9" pages.  I liked the ones that AJ showed on the first page. 

aussiejames wrote:

"One thought I had was about how its seems Palitoy card backs are more likely to be missing the name plates. Why the European children liked to cut the names out of the cards I am not sure"
All the mail in offers ask for the names to be sent in, there are no POPS.  So just like US cards with POPs missing you'll see Palitoy cards with nameplates missing

I just never noticed that before.

aussiejames you did it again! I did see that there was no pop and was wondering how they did it. Thanks.

aussiejames wrote:

All the mail in offers ask for the names to be sent in, there are no POPS.  So just like US cards with POPs missing you'll see Palitoy cards with nameplates missing  

Comm. Clint: These ones from Staples are not the cheapest ones but they are thicker than normal. They call them"Staples Clear Heavyweight Sheet Protectors, 100-Pack". Online says "Non-stick material prevents ink transfer,Archival quality polypropylene, Acid- and latex-free, Heavyweight 3.3 mil thickness". Its not hard enough to prevent a bend from happening but when they are all stacked they seem safe enough. They also have "non glare" but I never tried them. I like to glare at them.

Highly informative thread, Thanks!

Have done some contributions to Kellermans book but did not pay that much attention to cardbacks in those days.

 Excellent work Todd. The way this thread is developing it will prove to be a valuable resource.

Keep the entries coming guys!

The 20 back Fett offers are the most confusing for me. This is a great run down. Thanks again ToddG.
I find some of the Yellow stickers are more see through than others. Most of the examples I have have been peeled to some degree. Some better than others but none peeled well enough you cant easily tell. Id say a good 20c or 20k are the hardest to find. I am still looking.