#Trapper keeper binder series#

If you showed up on day 1with just a standard blank binder you might expect to catch some grief. The Trapper Keeper 2-inch Sewn Zipper Binder helps students stay organized with an exterior pocket, Trapper Keeper dividers, and a carry handle. A lot of the designs havenвЂ™t aged that well, but as recent anachronisms they are hilarious, haunting, and absorbing. In the latter half of the 80s and in to the early 90s, a Trapper Keeper was a must-have item on your 'back to school' shopping list if you were in elementary school (12 and under for you non-Americans). In fact, the Trapper Keeper had a вЂњDesigner Series,вЂќ which featured a number of fairly cheesy and awesome computer-generated pieces of abstract art. Additionally, though Trapper Keepers did have clear plastic encasing, they didnвЂ™t have the vacuum-sealed, single-color plastic wrap of standard binders. This not only closes off one space for papers to move around, but it tightens the binder and keeps the papers close together, preventing them from getting loose, which makes it easier for them to fall out. It does this by adding an enclosure to one side of the binder, in the form of a wraparound flap that fastens to the topside surface with a Velcro clasp. It was first test-marketed in 1978, and Crutchfield decided to insert a feedback card into each of these binders to gain more information from the users. It was the most scientific and pragmatically planned product ever in that industry. What differentiates it from the ordinary binder, with its clunky triangular fold and creepy militant design, is in the name: it is built to trap and keep papers from falling out. The Trapper Keeper was no accident, he told Mental Floss. If youвЂ™re not already familiar, the Trapper Keeper is a large plastic binder that holds folders. Somewhere in between these two poles is where IвЂ™d slot the Trapper Keeper. The first day of school, much to my parentsвЂ™ dread, meant new supplies: semipermanently useful tools such as pencils, pens, erasers, backpacks, notebooks, and markers, or temporarily useful but mostly useless items such as protractors, compasses, TI-83 calculators (really only good for playing Drugwars), and electronic dictionaries. Across the online marketplace world, Trapper Keepers have proved to be modest goldmines, joining the likes of action figures and video games as nostalgic commodities.For the most part, IвЂ™ve always been excited by the first day of school: new teachers, new friends (sometimes), and best of all, new stuff.

#Trapper keeper binder series#

who sells vintage school supplies and clothing on her Etsy store, said that Trapper Keepers with rare designs, like selections from the psychedelic Designer Series or hard-to-find Lisa Frank editions, can go for as much as $250, though on average they go for $80.

Some sellers claim theyвЂ™ve made even more.

On eBay, the most expensive models have sold for $100. At that point, the hardest choice is between selling it immediately online or holding onto it for a while, hoping the market is only starting to heat up.

If youвЂ™re lucky enough to find one with a colorful design in good shape at a thrift store or at your parentsвЂ™ house, donвЂ™t think twice about taking it home with you. Still revered as one of the most popular school supplies ever invented, the вЂ80s and вЂ90s sensations have found new life as Millennial collectibles, selling for up to 19,500 percent of their original prices. But knowing how much the things are worth now, I wish I had been smart enough to beg my mom for one and put it in a time capsule. I never had a Trapper Keeper growing up, as I was a victim of an educational system that loved banning things kids love.