casarachi

I don't see Lexan at any banks I visit. They all use an Acrylic barrier. Lexan scratches more easily and yellows over time. Lexan (chemically the same as Makrolon) is not inert. It is a polycorbonate. Using a backing board of Lexan defeats all archival reasons for using Mylar. Mylar still makes a book look nicer, but that's not the main reason people use it. DG It's been 15 years since LEXAN CLEARS came out. One thing I am certain is they are INERT. I have yet to come across the Makrolon that you are talking about but will look into it. I don't use CLEARS because they look good, though they do look great. I use them because they keep the books in perfect condition. Mine have been stored in CLEARS for 15 years and there is no yellowing and no scratching on them. Lexan by GE is bulletproof I believe in 1/4 inch thickness.

I will be at BOSTON COMIC CON this weekend. I believe Saturday if anyone will be there who wants a sample. I'm not setting up or anything like that, just buying books but will be around.

Hi. First, to check them out, let me send you a sample. If you guys want some at that point, I'll see what I have left in stock and will let you have them at 1998 prices. If I don't have the ones you want in stock, (there are over 40 sizes) then I will look into a re-release. PM me your address. Thanks

CLEARS are made out of pure virgin/untreated LEXAN. Basically, the same stuff they use for bullet proof glass in banks and the same as on an F14 fighter jet. CLEARS are not bullet proof but it's the same stuff. The LEXAN you buy in stores is UV treated, some are scratch resistant meaning they are treated. CLEARS are not treated in any way. They are basically INERT, a sheet of air. CLEARS will not crack. (don't try this at home but I would take a nice comic in a clear with mylar, throw it up in the air and the corners would not blunt when they hit the floor.) This went over well when I did it with a high grade comic like the JUDY OF THE JUNGLE you see in the ads. Again, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.

For how long and what are they made out of?

Thanks Jeff, I have to admit when I first created CLEARS I acted a bit prematurely. The reason is, I went to the local comic shop in my town and confided the idea to the owner who I trusted he would not tell anyone about the idea. At least he told me I could trust him that he wouldn't. The next time I went in the store, a couple days later, he informed me that DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS wanted to talk to me about transparent backing boards! I was confused! WHAT THE F*** are you talking about? He said he called them to see if they had any!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! So, I did not call them back, I felt that the cat was let out of the bag and I thought.... OMG! There is no time for patent protection! So I did some research and found that by publishing an ad, that describes the product fully, or a series of ads, I would protect the product. Build a "brand name". CLEARS at least would be copyrighted by publishing those ads. This is essentially a "poor mans patent". Even though those ads didn't come cheap! At the time I did not have the funds to go into this all the way. It was something I would have otherwise taken months, possibly years to put together. So... within a day or two from that point, I created the ads and ran them the next few months in the trade magazines. Attended Chicago, SanDiego, NY etc... maxed out all my credit cards! Built a website etc... but I was not in a position to release CLEARS when they came out. It was only to protect the idea for fear others were onto it. But I sold it for a quick buck, it was lot of work to distribute, I didn't have the space for so much plastic, and thought that was the end of it. I didn't even ask my lawyer for that clause. Best darn attorney as far as I'm concerned! You see I was to get 5% of sales with an "honest effort to market and sell" the product. The problem was, no effort, not a single ad was placed in the 5 years allowed before I was to see a royalty. A big problem I knew about was, this product is somewhat cost prohibiting. Most things in your comic shop a dealer can stock for 10-30% retail, whereas CLEARS, if retailed at $2.50 or 3, dealer cost was $1.50 so it wasn't worth it to them unless they sold expensive comics. I think the people who bought me out figured they could buy $1,000,000 worth and get a great deal, and offer them at a better price, but it doesn't work that way with plastics. There is a certain cut off point that you can't get past, no matter how much money you spend. Is it worth it to put up $10,000,000 to save a penny per thousand units? I just wasn't into it that heavily knowing this and is why I got out when I did. It was a great time though! Many of the dealers I met back in those days, when I see them these days, look at me for a minute then remember, "Hey, your the CLEARS guy right?" This made it all worth it.

Oh, back in the day, COMICLINK was one of my best customers (a premier comics venue) when suddenly the slabbing appeared and was told that's where things are heading so I sold out. The only complaints were by the naysayers who didn't buy any. For example... At San Diego, at a very popular companies plastic bags & boards booth, the big time bag dealer said when asked about CLEARS, "I can smell the plastisizers in them, these are dangerous for comics!" Then I asked my chemist about this and he told me "the only time plastisizers are introduced is when two pieces of plastic are heated to form a bond." So the guy who said he could smell the plastisizers from CLEARS was full of it. HIS products were the ones with plastisizers because CLEARS are never heated up to form a bond, where every bag and mylar is. So I went away quietly into the sunset, and thought OK, not a single write up, review in OVERSTREET, CBM or CBG hmmmmm,ok, fine, I'll wait 10 years and see what happens to my precious books stored in CLEARS and when I checked, they were all like the day they were stored. & at least that I know about, not one article has been published telling people they are bad or good for comics or to avoid them. Have you ever seen one? However, I believe the price guide the very next year did drop some of the information about storage. I think I will also mention that at the time, my inspiration to create CLEARS was several reaons 1. selling comics at a comic show and people were rifling through my comics and their fingers were rough on the tops of the books and that's why I went with the 11" option called "EXTENDEDS", (NOT EXTENZ! ) , the extra half inch kept those dirty fingers off the books. 2. I got tired of waiting patiently, asking dealers to remove books at busy conventions so I could see the back cover. It seemed to bother some, and some others appreciate the fact I asked them to remove the book. and 3. The Pedrin Conservatory FORTRESS was the only alternative for me but was a too pricey unless it was a "SUPERBOOK".

I got tired of checking back and it eventually went out of my mind, excuse me. In 250,000+ units I did sell in OVERSTREET , CBG, and CBM, I was never asked to return a single clears. I sold the idea back in 1998 and because it was never marketed according to the fine print my attorney put into the deal, it reverted back to me after 5 years. I just haven't had the time to get back into it and it seems people forgot about them. The fire wasn't lit until this thread when someone indicated it was their idea. I'm only going after the idea here, is it a good one or isn't it. I'm not doing this for sales, though one big comic dealer who contacted me recently told me, "this might be the time for CLEARS". So I went back and checked this thread wondering what comments were left and saw none. I know this answer won't satisfy your negative comment. (still, not a single person who received them has chimed in.) By the way, it was THEIR turn to respond, not mine, which is why I never chimed back in about it until urged by my dealer friend from years ago. (Thanks MIKEY C.!) For those who requested the samples, please give me some time to put them all together, I am not going to go to the post office every day. When the requests dis-appear, then I will make the mailing. Thanks for your patience to those who asked. Eventually, NOT A YEAR , you will get them. (figure about a month at most). Thanks

Hi, this is not about making money, it's about how they work, do you like them, what good and bad things do you have to say about them after trying them out etc etc etc..... just PM me your address and I"ll be happy to send you some samples to check out. This is about posting thoughts and comments and opinions after trying a product. Discussion! In the interest of this great past time. COMIC BOOKS! I just remembered when I got an email from someone asking about them and went searching for this thread to see what people posted and not a one responded in probably 20-30 people I sent them to and it blew me away. I guess everyone who asked was skeptical because I'm sure if they sucked, they would have said so. I was really surprised after releasing them in OVERSTREET and COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE and the CBG, they didn't do an article on them. But again, one of the big shot/legends in the hobby told me at the San Diego COMIC CON back in 1997 the idea was genius and they didn't know how to slab a book until I came out with CLEARS.

Hey Avenger, you are the one who created the post that I sent out a bunch of samples to those who asked. You obviously didn't ask me for any or you would have gotten them from me. I am not upset at you in the least. Just those who did not continue the topic/discussion in reference to the product we were having the discussion. The ownership of CLEARS, THE ORIGINAL TRASPARENT BACKING BOARDS reverted back to me years ago after those who bought it failed to market it in the time specified. (this was back in the late 1990's) however I just haven't had the time to invest... and I figured for the sake of the naysayers to let my books sit in CLEARS to see the reaction over those years. They look like they did then. No ill effects whatsover in fact it has been "perfect" storage. I had about 30,000 left overs after the sale. These are made from PURE, UN-ALDULTERATED LEXAN. I used to buy massive quantity and get them professionally cut. And sell them at less than the cost you could buy it at but you would also have to cut it up. Cutting up 100 sheets at a time, in one cut is more accurate than trying to cut up a single thin piece. OK Avenger, no, I am not upset at you. Great original post! To those who are new to this thread. They used to cost $3 each for 60 mi(rigid) and $1.50 for the 30mil(flop)(read the previous posts for more info) but yeah, I will re-release if there is considerable interest. I remember I sold over 5000 (60 mil) at the BIG APPLE COMIC CON back in those days. That was a lot to carry for me in my car when I first released. They are 1/4 each for 60 mil and 1/8lb 30 mil.

What I created and what you bought, may look similar but they are not. What I sent people is the real thing, the original. Did you ask me to send you a sample, as posted in this YOUR thread? Did you end up getting any samples from me in the mail for free including free shipping? I spent over $100 just for the mailings and I don't even qualify for a common courtesy response? Geepers creepers. If you didn't ask for them, then obviously you don't apply to the aspect of my posting. But you are right, it's a great idea. Thanks.

Incredible! I sent out all those completely FREE ORIGINAL & HISTORICAL Backing boards to all who simply asked and not one person has the courtesy to post, not even a thank you but they suck.... so that must mean you're all simply blown away cause they're so awesome. I know. It was my idea.

Hey guys/gals, I just got those samples out to ya, sorry for the delay, I was trying to find other sizes to send more of a group, but I did get 3 out to each of you. 2 are 30 mil and 1 60 mil. (the 2 30 mil are I believe GOLD 1 and GOLD 2. (I personally would prefer 60 mil with a golden age comic), however due to weight concerns, many dealers would probably not want 60 mil, unless it were for the most valuable books.. But some will say, they do the trick, resembling more cheap cardboard in rigidness, actually a little better IMO but they look great in comparison. These would be fine for golden age books valued in the $50-300 range. Anything over, I would probably use the 60 mil), The 60 mil sample is unfortunately, the MAGAZINE size CLEAR. This is just what I could find in my "old stock/inventory". I guess i sold out of the "standard/more in demand" sizes. The reason why I am partial to 60 mil is, they keep the spine rock solid. Anything that can potentially bend, is not a good thing for a backing board. But to fight weight and cost concerns, the reasoning is sound using 30 mil. WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE USING 60 MIL IS, THEY DO NOT BEND and TAKE GETTING USED TO. THEY DO NOT "GIVE", so BE VERY CAREFUL INSERTING A BOOK with a 60 MIL. (THERE IS NO "FORGIVENESS" in that your book will not bend(EVEN SLIGHTLY) on 60 mil, and mylar can also be very sharp because it's so thin, so just be careful. Once you get used to it, it's easy. USE 60 MIL WITH CAUTION. Some say the edges can be sharp, but the edges never touch your comic. Your comic should not "go over" the edge. If it does, then it's the wrong size backing. I noted on the old order form which pieces were sent to you. Again, this was old inventory, so the pieces you are testing are about 15 years or older! (so this will tell you how well they held up). NOTE!!!!!!! Even the 30 mil samples have 2 plastic film overlays to protect the lexan.(one on each side, you may not realize this when you first get them) (to be honest, I'm not sure if the 30 mil are in fact lexan they might have been made by DUPONT. I took what my supplier had on hand. They were selling really well and I only created the 30 mil because that's what a lot of people asked for. They are lighter, but not rigid. Note:, on the 30 mil.The film is not color/labeled as is the 60 mil. Make sure you remove the film on both sides of the CLEARS. Again, many thanks for letting me send these out to you and I hope you find them in the least, entertaining and who knows, possibly you might find it as good idea as I when I first came up with it. I hope you have some fun with them.

Holy smokes, my inbox is flooded! Thanks for the offers to pay shipping but that's on me, thanks. I'll get them out asap. Some folks are mentioning what books they would like to use them on. I'll have to see what sizes I have around, and try to send you the right one, but THIS, I can't promise. I think I only have the 30 mil in Gold, Bronze and Diamond age (I call modern age books DIAMOND AGE) I'm not sure what the 60 mils are. I used to have 48 sizes and I know I dont' have all those sizes right now. I only have what I had left over NOS when I sold the idea. I will however send you a 60 and 30 mil full size example so you can get at least an idea of what they are. I am looking forward to the follow-ups! Here is a part of the pamphlet I used to send out with each order. Bonus pics of comics with mylar bag & lexan backing

Ok, I have done some reviews of what I said and would like to explain the plastic costs (mylar bag vs lexan backing board) mil to mil. Mylar was about .01/mil Lexan was roughly .02/mil. Back in 1998, upon inquiring the big manufactures, the cost to make a mylar bag I believe they are 5 mil? Was $.10 in raw materials to manufacture a mylar $0.05 for each part of the two parts that are needed to make a bag.) Cost was roughly $0 .10 for 10 mil total. The retail at the time for a mylar bag was about $1.00. This is around a 10 X mark-up from cost. So, there is room for a middle man. LEXAN sheet in 60 mil cost me $1.16 for each unit. Therefore, using the same markup In a retail setting would have made CLEARS list at around $11.60/unit, Thus, at my 2.50$ list, there wasn't enough profit in it for the stores who were used to the larger price difference between cost and retail. Little or no room for a middle man at this cost/list price ratio. So, MYLAR and LEXAN , raw materials, mil to mil. (lexan 60 mil $1.16 cost, mylar 10 mil total $0.10. (5milx2 or cost of 10mil =$0.10 x 6 = 60 mil would be $0.60. Then you need to add shipping to the distributor, then shipping to the retail outlet. But this may have been the key to my initial success was selling direct, rather than going through the distribution that increases the list price needed to carry the product in a retail setting. At that time, I don't believe folks would have spent $10.00 to get one backing board. $2.50 in quantity was my target retail price I thought people would be willing to pay.Though I am sure some would have paid that higher price, I didn't see the collecting masses catching on to easily. But weight to weight comparison, I believe mylar was about half the cost of lexan. Hope I didn't screw this up! I did release 30 and 40 mil lexan clears at the request of customers but they are not rigid, and "give" a little like the traditional board.

LEXAN is the trademark name for Polycarbonate from GE, which DUPONT also makes, and I think DUPONT may have created first(a week before GE). I tested DUPONT vs GE and found GE to be of much higher quality. The Dupont brand is cheaper to buy than GE, which I demanded ONLY GE LEXAN. My sales rep tried to push the DUPONT on me but I wouldn't take it. I wasn't interested in saving money and putting out an inferior product. I don't believe all POLYCARBONATES are created equal. Whatever the difference, I think GE calls this a "trade secret". ______ I just did a quick search on LEXAN, (this info didn't exist back in those days - average person internet was just coming into play), but apparently, there are different grades of polycarbonate. GE was the brand used by the APOLLO astronauts space helmets and is the TOP GRADE polycarbonate. It's not cheap. I think cost was $96 for a 60 mil 4x8 sheet which cut into 48 boards. When I purchased 1000 sheets, I got it for a little less, enough where I could beat the average persons price who would buy at most, a handful of sheets. Anyone can go out and get a sheet of 60 mil LEXAN (untreated needs to be ordered, they don't stock it. They stock UV/Scratch resistant or DUPONT), and then you need to cut it up, but it will cost you $2/per board, then you need to precision cut it. (which is a pain).Thus my price was $2.50/board. So what I offered was convenience and top quality polycarb. There wasn't a lot of profit in it at those prices. I doubt the prices have come down. At that time you needed to buy $500,000 worth to save .25 per board.

LEXAN is cheap $? It's bullet proof in 1/4 inch! (120 mil)

I suppose the absolute "sure" thing, IMO, if one is worried about which plastic/transparent board is best, would be to put a comic in a mylar with a "regular old cardboard backing board", then remove the board after insertion.(revealing the back of the comic) Then put that mylar inside another larger mylar(magazine size) with a backing board of ANY rigid plastic between the two mylars. A little extra expense but.....who cares when it comes to books you want to protect without worries. This way, you have backing but your front and back cover touches only the mylar. You could use a mylite for the interior mylar. If you were going to use a regular comic bag for the interior bag, then I don't believe the material of the transparent board will matter. A bag inside a bag approach with plastic backing between. I am actually eliminating the need for LEXAN with this approach. Unless you want strength.

I wish this type of forum was around back in those days! I am not trying to promote the product here, I am simply informing about "transparent backing boards". That they did/do exist. You can spoon me all you want, I would spoon anyone/everyone I could to protect my comic investments! The following year, 1999,(& till now) I was looking/waiting for any/all comments that said "CLEARS IS GOOD OR BAD". I am not saying there aren't alternatives, I am looking for "the best" one. I am grateful for the OP bringing this up and ALL "constructive criticisms". As well as the comic relief! Thank you!

HI, I was told by GE chemist that "Plastisizers are introduced when two plastics are heated which is needed to create the bond". Such as is required to make a bag. That being said, I believe you may be correct that if LEXAN was heated at high temps, it could be in fact plasticized. That makes perfect sense but who would subject their comics to heat to begin with. Storage rule 101 is to keep your comics in a COOL/DRY place. I have mylar bags that have in fact yellowed and have cracked at the corners, thus tells me they became brittle. From my own experience, and I have asked this to various top dealers over the years who purchased CLEARS, because I want to know for my own books safety. "Have CLEARS damaged or deteriorated any of your comics over the years?" The answer is, so far, "no". Has anyone else ever noticed their mylar turning color or cracked at the corners? I can't be the only one who's experience this. And I'm not knocking mylar, I like mylar bags but do find myself replacing them. There's nothing like a new mylar bag. Unfortunately, mylar is not appropriate for a backing board. What plastic, in your opinion, works best as a backing board? I appreciate your posting.

Personally, I give credit to PEDRIN's FORTRESS, they are probably the best & safest still! They were my inspiration for CLEARS. The mylar used in the FORTRESS is SHEET, not BAG, therefore, no plastisizers are present in the mylar, making them the ULTIMATE STORAGE METHOD.(note how easily they scratch, but who cares) My only complaint is the price for an entire collection, (unless you own a small but elite collection), and it can be a pain if you quickly want to look at a book and put it back. I would use this method for any SUPER HIGH VALUE book I wanted to put away and forget about. Actually, he could improve them if he used scratch resistant and ultraviolet treated LEXAN for the outer shell. What I like about CLEARS is, there is no border(so very attractive when multiple books are lined up or overlapped) and of course much less $ and much easier to remove. One of my sales tactics at the shows I did was to have a NM HULK 181 or other nice book inside a mylar and PROPERLY SIZED CLEAR(which had bonded via the friction mentioned previously), and toss it up in the air and watch it drop to the ground. Everyone was SHOCKED. ((((DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!!!!)))) I was just trying to make a point. The worst that happened (to me) was the mylar would bend & or crack a bit at the corner when it hit the ground. So it would need to be replaced, but the book was fine.

Hi, , I'm only here to let you all know, TRANSPARENT BACKING BOARDS do exist. And I understand fully and appreciate the concerns for storing our valuable comics.

****Back in the mid-90's, I put my run of Wolverine in them - and 15-16 years later, the only real problem with them is that some of the corners have gotten brittle and cracked. They still look good and clear - but I still like having a firm board behind my books.**** Did you use the product you are showing there? Those are NOT "CLEARS". If those are lucite, lucite I believe does break down over time and will get brittle over time. LUCITE and MYLAR cost about 1 to 2/10ths (in weight), what LEXAN costs. (at least back in 1998 that was the difference.). At that time, when I inquired about MYLAR, (lucite was mentioned by the chemists and because it is also known as a a type of "plexiglass" which will break down eventually, I chose not to use it) I did not choose the "cost effective" route when I chose LEXAN. The problem I was faced with was the high cost, but when you are storing a $500+ comic book, what's $2-3? Believe me, when I took my comics out of storage, I was quite relieved to see all was well, it was my best R&D because only time will reveal our major concerns. Oh, and to the person who asked about ARCHIVAL/Museums etc, the display cases you see, which priceless documents and items are placed and sit, are not on glass, nor acrylic, nor plexiglass, they are I believe made out of LEXAN. I think the mona lisa has bullet proof sized Lexan for protection as well. Granted the painting does not come into direct contact with the LEXAN but they use it a lot for various things in those settings. Basically, those chemists explained and assured me, Lexan will have considerably less effect than any other rigid plastic known to man.

Thanks for asking! When I first jumped into this idea of a transparent backing board, I spoke with several companies to find the most appropriate "plastic". I wanted something with the same properties as MYLAR only rigid. (Dupont and GE comes to mind, specifically their top chemists.) Who informed me of the clients who used LEXAN for storage of documents in museums. Assuring me I had no worries that THIS plastic could do no harm and they directly compared LEXAN properties to MYLAR. I simply mentioned this to the Editors of CBM at that time and they produced/created the ad you see in CBM. I have had my own comics stored in CLEARS the past 15 or so years, when I removed some from their place(Clears w/mylar), the comics looked "fresh" as they did the day they were inserted. The reason I released CLEARS at that time was, I went to my friendly neighborhood comic book store and showed the proprietor who assured me he would not divulge my idea to ANYONE. The next day he called me and said "Steve! I called (Diamond) and asked them if they had those Transparent Backing Boards and they didn't know anything about them! They want to talk to you". Needless to say, the cat was out of the bag, and so I made up a 1 page ad for CBM describing the product and released them. Within the next month I think we sold 30,000 of them. Within the next months, I was hounded by several players who wanted to buy me out. I signed out with 5% interest, however no "royalties" ever arrived. Fortunately, my lawyer put a clause in the contract that the new owner would IN GOOD FAITH produce and sell CLEARS, however they never did. Thus, 5 years after, ownership was put back in my hands because they did not sell 1 unit, basically they never tried. What I also found interesting was not a single place I advertised, ever did a review on the product. Why? However, at that time, I believe the following year, the PG omitted information in the guide on storage. (i expected them to put MORE information, not less) If CLEARS were bad for comics, I wanted to know. The last thing I would want to do is destroy a comic for any amount of monetary reward. I love comics, have been a fan since a child and there was no way I would put out a product that could damage what I loved most on this earth. But yes, I grilled those scientist and they assured me I was "safe" because LEXAN was used in that "archival" capacity, just not with comics, yet. I wanted to know the effects after a time what LEXAN would have with cheap comic book paper, the inks etc, and was informed there would be NO EFFECT long term. LEXAN will yellow in direct sunlight over the years, but in the back of a comic, they won't ever see light. Also, this is VIRGIN LEXAN, without the added protection of ultra violet light, scratch resistant protection. Once you add those features, you add chemicals to the plastic, so that is the reason for VIRGIN, untreated LEXAN. CLEARS are NOT scratch resistant, and they DO NOT protect from Ultra Violet light. There was a picture of an F14 fighter jet brought to my attention, which speculated the deterioration of the jet if it sat for a 1000 years, I believe created by GE. It showed the body of the jet completely rotted away, while the cockpit glass looked the same as the day it was made. Without any breakdown. MYLAR does break down over time, (it get's brittle), and does contain plastisizers, not in sheet form, in bag form (when two sheets are heated to create a bond to make a bag), where-as LEXAN CLEARS, are never heated. (I did experiment and found in extreme heat, 300 degrees, LEXAN will warp, but found it not turn color. In fact, the books I took out of storage a couple years ago, the mylar was yellowed but the lexan looked like day 1. That, I believe is because of the plastisizers present in the mylar. So, yes, like those bags we all put our comics in, which we are told to replace every several years, the same must be done with mylar, only mylar lasts considerably longer. LEXAN is good for 100's, possibly 1000's of years and you should never need to replace them.

Please don't confuse the "CLEARS" with whatever those other things are that destroyed your books. CLEARS are simply a backing board that you insert into a mylar. After a time, they form a seal, via friction, "Plastic on Plastic" after the air surrounding the book escapes. If you ever have a hard time removing a CLEAR from the mylar, you simply insert the traditional cardboard backing board in between the CLEAR and the mylar. This breaks the bond, releasing the book. The acrylic, imo is a bad idea because acrylic is a totally different animal/plastic, LEXAN is what they use in F14 Fighter jets, (the cockpit glass), windows in 747's and also used in BANKS as bullet proof "glass" (in 1/4-1/2 inch thickness). VERY HIGH QUALITY, in fact, superior to Mylar. If you drop your SLABBED book, you can easily crack the holder because it's only acrylic. Acrylic is CHEAP plastic. They put the book in a mylar type sleeve holder, then use the acrylic for the outer shell. You don't want your book sitting on acrylic. CLEARS DO NOT CRACK, in fact, you can't crack them with a hammer. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people drop their slabbed books, just 3 feet and the holder cracks. At first, when I came up with the idea, I thought THICK MYLAR, but you can have a slab of mylar a foot thick and it still flops. No rigidness in ANY thickness, which defeats the reason of using a backing board. I personally prefer the 60 mil CLEARS because the spine won't bend, it's completely rigid. The 30 mil bends like your regular cardboard backing. The downside of 60 mil is they take getting used to. So you need to be careful inserting and taking out your book, but once you do it a few times, you know how to do it care-free. If anyone here on this forum wants a free sample, just send me your address. COMICLINK and other top dealers were my best customers. The only negative was the 60 mil are heavy, especially when you're a comic dealer lugging around thousands of comics to shows.