Cartoon stick figure holding a trading card protector sleeve with hologram in binder margin — representing a blog post about the Ultra PRO hologram mark non-traditional trademark.

Trademark: Ultra PRO Card Protector Sleeve

First Used: May 1995

First Registered: March 1998

Current Owner: ULTRA PRO CORPORATION [1]

Trademark Type: non-traditional trademark; hologram mark

Primarily Associated With: plastic pages for containing collectible cards, photographs and the like [2]

Brief (and likely incomplete) History [3]:

The Ultra PRO Card Protector Sleeve hologram mark is a significant piece of trademark history – it is the oldest, still active hologram mark trademark registration in the United States. The Ultra PRO Card Protector Sleeve hologram mark was first used in 1995 and registered as a trademark in 1998.

Baseball cards. Pokémon cards. Magic cards. Whatever type of trading card you collected (maybe even rare playing cards like Bicycle Playing Cards or Nintendo Playing Cards), you probably reached a point where storing them in a shoebox no longer cut it. You needed some protection. Something that could keep your valuable cards safe and in great condition for years to come.

Ultra PRO, originally founded as “Rembrandt” in 1952, initially specialized in manufacturing for the photo industry. The company later transitioned into producing storage solutions for trading cards, quickly expanding to offer various storage and protective solutions for trading cards, maintaining a reputation for quality and innovation in the collectibles industry.

In 1995, Ultra PRO released their first card sleeves specifically designed for collectible card games, known as "deck protectors." Individual sleeves were created and made of polypropylene designed to snugly fit standard cards, while also providing enhanced protection during gameplay and shuffling. For a storage solution, Ultra PRO released its 9-pocket polypropylene page, which became a standard for collectors.

To authenticate their products and assure collectors of their quality, Ultra PRO began using the Ultra PRO Card Protector Sleeve hologram mark. Located on the margins of each binder page, the hologram mark immediately gave customers peace of mind that they were utilizing the high-quality deck protectors Ultra PRO was known for. Their valuable cards were safe. Today, the Ultra PRO Card Protector Sleeve hologram mark continues to serve both as a mark of authenticity and a visual identifier for the brand.