Hey, as my collection grows I’m wondering how people with larger collections store their cards safely and efficiently; by safety I mean that the cards are kept in a good condition and by efficiently: that it’s easy to look up a card in a specific set.
I have multiple portfolios where each has one or more set; (e,g SWSH1-3, SWSH4+ etc) but I’m having a harder time storing my raw semi expensive cards, I keep these in top-loaders inside a card barrier box but have no more space
Do you keep your precious cards in binders too, is it safe etc? in general would love to hear about your organization system
I am more comfortable storing pricy raw cards in a binder than in a top loader / card saver / deck box. I use zippered binders inside a “drying cabinet” which regulates the humidity. This reduces dust and card warping.
I sleeve vintage holos and other valuable cards (usually with clear deck protectors) and then put them in 4-pocket or 9-pocket binders. UltraPro binders are overrated and are often of subpar quality, but they get the job done. My preferred brands for binders are Legion and Dex Protection, which have both impressed me with the quality of their products.
I store bulk cards in empty ETBs, which can store over 500 unsleeved cards each. You can organize your bulk by putting all cards from a certain set in the matching ETB from that set, but obviously you can organize however you like. Right now I have a bunch of vintage bulk which I plan on sorting and storing in Evolutions ETBs.
I store many moderately expensive, very minty cards in binders. And I have zero concern that the condition isn’t being preserved. As qwachansey mentioned, zippered binders are the way to go. Dust can cause surface damage to cards, and zippered binders are a great way to minimize dust accumulating. I use Dex Protection zippered binders, which I love, but there are other brands that should be fine, too.
A few other tips:
Make sure to store your binders vertically.
Maybe I’m just super paranoid, but I don’t store cards on both sides of the pages. Cards typically have some sort of curvature, so you don’t want cards pressing against each other, IMO.
This one is very controversial. But I’m a huge fan of perfect fits. I use KMC perfect fits + Dragon Shield clear classics. Whatever you do, if you decide to use perfect fits, make sure to get KMC ones. Other ones can be slightly too tight.
I forgot to share about which binders \ portfolios I use;
For regular set collection, unless it’s a master set, I store all cards up to the last trainer card (no FA \ FA trainers\ secrets etc) in Dragon Shield \ Ultra Pro portfolios.
After reading your comments, for the past couple hours, I moved all of my non very expensive cards (~100$ Max) from toploaders, to a new Dragon shield slipcase binder with UP pages, sorted by card type (FA trainers, Gold, Rainbow, Shiny etc.) I figured having them all in a box I never get a chance to browse them or easily show them to friends \ family.
I just wonder a little about the fact that the dragon shield slipcase does not cover the pull hole it has and dust can get in from there, maybe I’ll craft some plastic cap or something haha.
Another Q; do you use silica gel packets or anything of the sort? does it help with foil curling etc?
If they’re stored horizontally, there’s constant pressure being placed on the face of each card. If there’s piece a tiny of sediment that get in the binder, it’s going to leave a dent on a card. If the binder is stored vertically, the face of each card isn’t being applied nearly as much pressure. The cards are just sort of resting naturally; they don’t have constant weight pushing them down.
Re: skewing the pages downward – I’ve never noticed that. Maybe that would happen with lower quality binders. But if you stick with one of the established brands (Ultra Pro, Dex Protection, Legion, etc.), you shouldn’t have to worry about that.
It depends on the card. I have a pretty good stack of whatever BS cards I don’t care about just sitting in a drawer. I figure my kids might like them when they’re older. The raw cards I actually like I have a generic binder for. I’m trying to build out the base, jungle, fossil and team rocket sets so I’m focusing on getting raw cards in okay-ish condition. Once I complete them I plan on looking into some sort of cool display case.
If I do come across a valuable raw card I might want to get graded or something, I have an acrylic holding case to protect it until I figure out what to do with it.
I usually use toploaders for expensive cards, binders (I love Ultimate Guard Zipfolios) for sets/specific Pokemon collection and Dragon Shield boxes for my bulk. Everything in penny sleeves except the bulk.
I have more trouble finding some space for my sealed products currently lol
I have my mastersets and SR/UR/HR promos and gems in Dragonshields and then in a binder. I love to flick through these but have recently heard about binder ware? People saying that the vertical edges of the cards become worn from where the pages flex and move the sleeve in the pocket and in turn wares the card edge.
Does anyone have any experience of this ? Is this a thing and if it is, do we just lock these things up for good?
The only raw cards I have are the ones waiting for grading. Just toploaders and sleeves in a drawer with some desiccant packs scattered around there lol
i store all my hits in card savers, I was putting the reserve holos and regular holos in card savers, now just a penny sleeve and in an elite trainer box that is always full so the cards don’t shift as much. I might store all the holos and reserves in card savers since the price of them has gone back down.
I use KMC perfect fits and ultra pro sleeves. I sometimes double sleeve, but it honestly depends on what kind of mood im in. I have a couple binders that I put my more prized cards in. The rest I just stick in empty tins. I have a few dozen empty/partially filled tins from over the years and they stack up pretty well. I used to use toploaders a lot but I found its harder to get the cards in and out and I prefer the binder method because I can look at the cards easier. Really any sort of sleeve is important and then you can pick and choose between toploader/card saver/binder/random empty box or tin.
