I love it when Best Hobby Pages costumers share their tricks and tips for how they use the product. As originally conceived BHP works as a complete system where a card stock poly envelope slips into a matching page. These pages then live in a typical 3-ring binder to safely organize and store a collectors pieces. However, many collectors come up with their own systems that work best for them and I want to share one of these today.
It turns out The Container Store makes two boxes that are a near perfect match for storing the most popular BHP envelopes. What makes these boxes unique is that they have a completely straight side and flat bottom. The plastic is also crystal clear which makes for a nice look.
The Container Store Our Shoe Box 13"x 7 1/2" x 4 1/4" h
When you buy these in bulk you can get them for well under $2 including the lid from the store. The height matches the 4-pocket card exactly when it's laid longways (horizontal). The width gives you about 3/4 of an inch to spare. Here is a link to the product page on their site.
The Container Store Men's Shoe Box 14 3/4" x 10 1/8" x 5 5/8" h
The larger show box they sell is a perfect match for either the 3-pocket envelope or the 2-pocket envelope. For the height the 2-pocket is an exact match. The 3-pocket will have about 1 1/2" room at the top. This sized box will cost between $3-$4 depending on what sale you can hit them during. Here is a link to the product page on their website.
I have not measured how many carded envelopes with patches included would fit in either size container. My guess based on experience is between 75-100 patches. I've included some pictures below to give you an idea of the size comparison.
I would love to see photos and hear explanations of how other collectors use Best Hobby Pages to store their collection in a unique way. Please email me if you can share.
Post Script
After posting this I received an email from Bryan West who confirmed that this was his idea. He mentioned sharing the details with me at the 2018 National OA Conference. He also said the right number of BHP envelopes per box was 90 to give just a little breathing room. He sent a picture of his collection stored using this strategy. Thanks Bryan!
