Display cases for cards

General
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Hey guys I am working on a few prototypes right now of some display cases for cards. I was curious of any suggestions of certain features you guys could think of that would be cool. I am really striving to make this with the best craftsmanship as possible. All materials being used are the best materials I can find out there.

Right now I am just focused on making it solid without any fancy features, but here are some ideas I have so far.

Wooden case/frame - different wood options available, different stain options available

Museum Quality Acrylic/Glass (deciding what would be a better choice)

Custom engraving, Example: 1st Edition Base, Legendary Birds, etc.
I have messaged PSA about whether or not I could engrave PSA 10 on the cases if that would be considered copyright and they didn’t really give me a clear answer yet. I have also tried messaging Nintendo to see if I would be allowed to engrave Charizard on the cases and they gave me no answer at all, not a big surprise. I’m sure this would be considered copyright though. Not sure if they would mess with me, seeing many people selling fake Pokemon items on eBay constantly like fake Charizards. Still don’t really want a lawsuit on my hands though.

Possible closed storage on the case, most likely at the bottom under the actual display portion of the cabinet.

Locking door, not sure if this is even necessary considering someone could still easily break into a wooden cabinet or take the whole thing. This wouldn’t really be geared up for security just focused on the display.

Custom colored matting, or felt behind the cards

Lights inside the case

If you have any other ideas let me know please, or think any of my ideas are bad. I’m not sure on sizes, obviously I could easily make cases to hold a few cards or even say a full 15-20 card holo set. Not sure how feasible it would be to make a case large enough to hold a full PSA graded set. That might have to be a cabinet that sits on the ground, rather than hang on your wall. I would have to weigh it out though and see.

EDIT: After looking on Etsy again there are so many after market Pokemon items being sold it is insane, I don’t think I would have an issue having anything Pokemon related engraved. Including an actual Pokemon character being engraved.

3 Likes
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Sounds Awesome!

I’d defitinily be interested in something that could display holo sets!

1 Like
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Great idea so far I have been looking into the best way to display my collection. So far I have been looking at protecting the displayed cards from UV damage which causes cards to fade and moisture control.

From what I have gathered my suggestions would be:

  • UV filtering acrylic instead of Glass.
    Just local to me. But the idea is to use similar to museums.
  • Closed design (but not waterproof tight) to stop dust.
  • LED “Cool” white strips internally lined in the case. Source
  • Black felt lining to absorb the internal LED light.
    Reduce glare etc
  • Moisture monitors in display ( easier for me as I was looking at a larger size to sit on the ground)

From the design point well I leave that to you. I think you were looking at hanging yours on the wall, I was looking at on the ground standing display.

I’ll say this regarding size, I have a few 50x50 (cm) painting on my walls and in hindsight I should of commissioned them to be bigger.

Wood can be good, just be aware of the moisture variables and what they are sealed in. Wood that absorbs the most is Oak, but with paint; Pine.

You pretty much had that outlined in your post but just letting you know what I had decided, to cross reference similar ideas.

Regards,

Atlas

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Engraving PSA 10 or a particular pokemon on your case would be just like drawing a pokemon on your binder or getting a pokemon tattoo. There’s no problem there at all. Good luck on your case! I hope it turns out gnarly!

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I bought one of these last night for a friend and ill be buying another one next week for myself. Is this similar to the ideas you had?

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Looking at the display aspect, I would focus on making LEDs work. Maybe colored background lighting (changable?) in the pokemon type colour and one white LED in the front to make the holofoil pop.
Just browse the gaming/collecting/tech area of YouTube for a bit and count how many backgrounds are *not* LED lit. I think they would be well recieved with many people.

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Not really what my design looks like, this looks like something just cut out by a CNC machine. I want something handcrafted out of wood, more of a shadowbox look where the cards wouldn’t be up tight against the front. I plan on storing thousands of dollars worth of cards in these so I don’t want something that looks cheaply made. Also something easily accessible so I could rotate cards in and out without having to remove from the wall or take screws out.

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These are the ones I currently use; I’d be interested in seeing your designs! www.amazon.com/Lockable-Football-Baseball-basketball-cards-OAK/dp/B0033RZM00/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2LPY8YTY4U5GT&keywords=psa+display+case&qid=1562175692&s=gateway&sprefix=psa+displa%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-6

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I have ordered a few different cases out there on the market and they just don’t feel like the quality is there for me. Feels cheaply made, they cheap out on brackets, cheap screws, cheap acrylic. If I have 10k+ value stored in the case I don’t want to cheap out on the case. This design though is similar to what I am thinking.

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I certainly share those feelings. Plus, I think having a case uniquely personalized to Pokemon or individual sets would be an excellent touch!

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Random idea but could you design something that:

  • Fits PSA cases
  • offers UV Protection

But the big one (currently missing from the market)…

  • These cases can clip together to make a display that you can mount on a wall or such. i.e. in extreme cases join together 16 PSA cards and they’ll be smartly mounted to a wall

My 2 cents anyway.

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Real UV protected acrylic costs a TON. I have a project I’m working on and that substantial cost is a big time road block.

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I’d be super interested in your project Gary. How crazy of $$ are we talking?

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Yes it is quite expensive, I’m still comparing companies. I have 2 companies sending me samples I’d like to try and test out.