Does Orientation Matter?

[Dewwen]

To be clear, we're talking Portrait versus Landscape :laugh:

This may not be a big deal to most, but I'm to go out on a limb here and say that some of us are more than a bit meticulous on how we store and display our collections. Or maybe it's just me and I'm the only one. We'll see!

Cards that are "landscape" orientation on the front, but "portrait" orientation on the back can be at issue. I always load my "landscape" cards into toploaders with the left side at the bottom. However, turn them over and if the back is portrait orientation, you will sometimes find them appearing upside-down. Case in point:

2 Kopitar autograph cards, both "landscape" orientation on the front. Left side of the card loaded at towards the bottom:


But turn them over - just as you see them above - and the "portrait" orientation on the back are different. One is right-side up, other upside down:



I'm calling foul on this! We need one industry standard that fits all mixed-orientation cards. This is just NUTS!

But what REALLY hit home today was this latest addition to my Doughty PC. This one cards had both "landscape" and "portrait" traits on the FRONT of the card. And, you guessed it - IT'S WRONG!



Great card, right???!!!

But, when placed into a one-touch with the left side down, the nameplate is upside down! The horror!


Now what???

I need some advise here please. Or maybe it's help I need. Maybe both. But please, let me know your thoughts!

Cheers,
Dan

 

[SNobles]

I’ll have to look to recall what card it was but my biggest annoyance was the card that was landscape for both front and back but was upside down when you turn the card over. You have to flip the card top to bottom instead of side to side for it to be the correct way.

In the end it doesn’t make a huge difference it just looks odd when you first see it as it isn’t in the majority.

 

[sjw241]

I think the Doughty Property Of is like that because we read left to right. If the stick was the other way it wouldn’t look right when displayed.
But I agree with you, the back should match the front. I think most people put landscape version into toploaders left side down.

 

[capsfan30]

I load my top loaders the same way! However, the last few years, I've begun looking for something to "orient" the cards. For example, on the 17-18 In The Game Used All Time Gr8's cards, the serial number on the front is in "portrait" (can read it while the card is viewed portrait style), but the rest of the front of the card is in "landscape." But, of course, the serial number is on the left side when viewed landscape, and faces down the rest of the card! If I load it into a top loader left side down, the serial number is upside down! My OCD for one fighting my OCD for the other. I had to load them right side down to orient the serial number correctly when storing them. :curse:

 

[quincy]

I keenly feel your distress.

 

[BrookIsland]

I have profound empathy with the meticulousness which gave rise to this post and in considering these issues you've raised!

I always have the cards going left to right as you have in the first two pictures for all cards in my collection (and will re-orient cards that I acquire if they aren't in their toploaders/one-touches in that way), and this is without regard to the orientation of the printing on the back (notwithstanding the agita it creates that they are not all uniform) -

See e.g. - the 15-16 UD SPA Jack Eichel FWAP XRC and 17-18 UD SPA Nico Hischier FWAP XRC which both had "upside down" backs as compared to all other FWAPs from their respective years. In this case, I think this was done by UD to distinguish authentic autographs on the XRCs from false autos on the originally release FWP (which were non-Auto.)

Irrespective, I'm totally with you!

 

[bwmechtech]

I store most of my cards in top loaders in bulk boxes. Landscape cards I have 2 rules. If the back is portrait, it goes with the back in the proper vertical orientation. If both sides are landscape, I put the area with the card number towards the top of the top loader. That way I can see it without having to take the card right out of the bulk box.

 

[GabbyGuy]

I load to make sure the back is right-side up...no matter the orientation of the front. If both sides are horizontal, I load like your Kopitar front from your example. Just a matter of preference. Anyone can do what they want. Card companies can make triangle cards, parallelogram cards, or whatever shape they want, and orient the way they want. I don't care.

Good thread for great discussion though. :thumbsup:

--Curt

 

[Luongo Collector]

I have all of mine the same way. Top to the left. If the back is upside down, so be it. A few weeks ago I replaced all the one touch bags in my luongo collection. Not only that, any one touch that had any tape on them got replaced as well. Creatures of habbit.

Chris

 

[TheGriceBoys]

We all have our hobby OCD and quirks Dan, do whatever makes you drink less. :beer:

 

[creasecollector]

That little OCD "twinge" in my brain always activates when I'm putting cards away in my binders.

It's lessened over the years, but yeah, you're defintely not alone on this one, dude!

 

[HammerHawks]

Totally get it. I wish there was just consistency, even within one manufacturer. It really shouldn't be that hard, but what do I know. I prefer having the left side at the bottom of the top loader and the right side at the top.