What is the deal with backer cards!?!?

[ILuvAriel922]

I also wanted to add to my comment... With some of the higher-end pins, artists now have signing events. A backer-card is absolutely imperative for this purpose. I would NEVER want an artists to sign the physical pin, but rather its card. It's like vintage baseball cards...it may be cool to have an old timer sign his card, but at the end of the day, unless is Mickey Mantle or Ruth, it will probably only devalue it.

 

[iElkie]

OCD = me! I'm very picky when it comes to backer cards. But that's mostly because I'm a little obsessed with things like MISB (Mint In Sealed Box) collectibles / toys, packaging artwork etc...

I do have a pin bag for my pins that don't have backer cards (anymore). But all the others remain on their original card and they all go into individual ziplock bags before being stored in boxes. The boxes are similar to what baseball card collectors use for their cards. So I can still easily look through them if I want to, without damaging the pins or backer cards. But I don't take them off their card or wear them, unless I have a duplicate.

So, JohnJay86 and others, don't fear... your OCD symptoms sound very familiar.

 

[Poohs_hotstuff]

I agree with the seeming majority here. Backer cards? OMG, I'd rather you sent it to me without one, as I frame all of my pins and I'd have to have a lot more frames if I included the backer cards, LOL! Instead I had a huge pile of them and then I think someone cleaned up and they seemed to have disappeared, not all at once, but the amount seemed to get smaller and smaller and then that part of my "mess" as my wife calls it, seemed much more manageable, so I think they migrated to recycling, lol. Didn't bother me at all. I save the pins, not the cards, not even the special ones as they don't tend to fit with any other backgrounds in frames. Not that I'm great at framing, but it would be like looking at a frame of pins for sale instead of a collection if they all had backer cards. No thanks, keep them, toss them, use them to send other pins to other people, that's my uses for backer cards. Even if I still had it, no way would I spend the time searching for the right one for any particular pin, so I leave the obsession to those who worry about such things, and do it my way! It's all fun, so do what you've got to do!
:soapbox:

 

[Mali87]

http://gallery.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/pin.cgi?pin=77662&sid=9842.1361224408.v2

This is the pin the woman passed up on, I had just taken it out of my collection and into my trader book. It didn't even make it past the first hour of trading

She passed up THAT pin?! Omggggg *falls over* Nuts to the backing card!!! I would have done the trade in a heartbeat! That's a great pin!!! And I'm so jelly u had it at one point! lol

I agree with many people here. Back when I first started trading the backer card didn't matter at all (I remember throwing away many of my backing cards)... and really imo that is how it should be. It seems like yes the backer cards have become more of a prominent issue within the last 2 or so years. I was surprised when I started trading again at the park last year when I had my AP and how some traders were super anal about the cards (as in no trading unless it had the card). I do agree if u use the trading book that has the baseball cards slots the backing cards do make it easier for them to be placed (just convenience really though) lol For me backing card is a bonus at times (i.e. DSF pins) but I'm not going to pass up a pin I want just because of no backing card.

For me if it was a grail or most wanted pin, I'd still take it without the card bc what are the chances I will have an opportunity like that again to get it? For BTs and PoDMs..... ehhhh... I honestly would prefer the backer card with it bc it does make it look nice. But again, if I can trade for a grail PoDM scene of mine or a grail BT (LM or Sleeping Beauty=AHHH!!!) I won't be too bummed about the card. Plus I could always find a way to get a backing card for those eventually

 

[Disxar]

I honetly don't care about backer cards. I mean they are nice to have and all, but whenever I get a backer card I just take
it off and throw it in a folder with the rest. When I ship, I normally put pins on random backer cards. I try to at least match up LE pins with LE backers and stuff, but honesty I do nothing with the backer cards.