What’s the best practice for storing side-loading non-ringed zippered binders? I’ve seen that there is a lot of people claiming that storing upright like books is the best while other says that this way the pages can sag bending the cards over time and that the best is to store them flat. Is there any answer to this debate? Should we store our binders vertically or horizontally?
Personally, I always store my binders flat without stacking them (I use plenty of storage).
Additionally, I know that for grading, penny sleeves are prefered to deck sleeves. However, for long-term storage in binders I’ve always used Dragon Shield Classic Sleeves. I understand that penny sleeves are better for grading because it’s easy to get the cards in and out, but for binders I don’t find any reason to use them over deck sleeves. Any idea on this?
Am no physicist but I would assume you’d get more bending from humidity than from this supposed page sagging. Firstly, most quality binders should be able to support their own weight anyway. Even if this is a real phenomenon, I doubt it’ll do any noticeable damage. You could argue by stacking binders you’re creating impressions on the cards (especially if there’s debris inside the sleeve). Either way, addressing the sleeves question as well, as long as the sleeve is clean and not so tight as to cause abrasion when taking the card in and out, I think you can choose whichever you like for storage. Ultimately I’d say damage is more likely to come from the handling process than the storage medium itself, provided you’re not using the lowest of budget supplies and keeping the room at a sensible level of humidity.
I prefer to store binders with the spine facing the ceiling or like a book on a bookshelf. These two practices prevent compression damage typically seen from stacking.
I prefer VaultX side-loading binders and Black Dragon Shield sleeves.
Hello @rockerdawn, welcome to the forums. I wish you a lovely time here interacting with everyone.
When I began binder storing, I just used to penny sleeves and store them in binders. They were good but sometimes the penny sleeves were inconsistent in sizes and would not fit snug.
I then came across the ‘Dragonshield - Sealable Perfect Fit Sleeves’ and have never looked back. What sold me on it was this review video. So now my process is to use these sealable sleeves and store them in a Vault X side loading zipped binder.
I store my binders upright, like books on bookshelves. I personally do not see a large difference in the level of protection just on the orientation of storage.
I also agree with this sentiment. If you are a binder collector, try to ensure that you use good quality products for storage since the initial investment will pay off in the long run and also save you the constant headache of worrying about your cards. I also make sure that the humidity is not fluctuating too much. If you live in a region which does, then you may need additional steps to minimize this fluctuation.
Finally, I felt for me personally, my simple and known process always works the best. I am careful but I have stopped worrying about every small level of detail in terms of how my cards are stored. However, it is my tolerance and I hope you can find your balance.