I’ve been told that foil cards and sometimes regular cards get warped if stored in binders for a long time (Even when double sleeved). How true is this in your experience? I currently keep all my precious cards in top loaders since I live in a pretty warm & humid area but as my collection is growing, space is becoming an issue. I’ve also noticed that regular Ultra pro top loaders get easily scratched and are dust magnets. This is why I’m thinking of investing in high quality binders but the warping/bending thing is giving me doubts.
Should I ditch the top loaders and start keeping my cards in portfolio binders? If so, which binder would you recommend?
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If you want to store sets together and the cards aren’t in perfect condition, a high quality binder without rings is a great option. If you want to store lots of minty high value cards, fumbling them in binders might damage them.
I keep mine in binders but i have never had damage, keys are to not overfill a binder w pages. stand binders up and make sure pages are in the middle (dont let them slide to far to left and right), keep really rare cards only in the 4 middle and right slots, etc… I like being to look at my picture book of cards. its all alphabetical too , i have 2 or 3 binders just for the As. so yeah Abra has a few pages, and 1 binder is just for pikachu
Personally, I store my valuable cards in Card Saver 1s because I’m going to get them graded eventually.
Anything near mint and below, condition wise, goes into a Dex Protection binder.
You could still store your cards in top loaders, just buy some slim fit team bags to keep out dust and prevent scratches.
I am primarily a set collector and I store all of my sets in binders. I think that your concerns are valid for traditional 3-ring binders that you have to buy additional pages for, but I would steer you away from those altogether. From my experience and many others here on the forum, 3-ring binders can damage cards by leaving indents if they are not closed carefully. I also find the pages to be very prone to the scratching and dust collection that you have already stated you have a distaste of. Another large detriment is the top loading aspect, where the top of the sleeve and page is still susceptible to dust and dirt, which you are also clearly aware of as well.
I am of the opinion that the best solution that binders without rings, my personal favorite being the ultra pro “pro-binder”. There are a variety of different versions, with the 9-pocket version being side-loading. I have not experienced any significant warping from cards stored in that type of binder as the pages are more rigid plastic than single 9-pocket pages and cards are stored back to back which can help correct each others warping.
If you would like more information on the topic, I know there have been multiple threads addressing the same issue in the past. Here is one I was able to easily dig up. The “Search” bar on the top of the screen should guide you along the right path.
I hope this helped and we look forward to answering any more of your questions!
Have you considered Card Saver 1s? They don’t scratch as easily as top loaders and are very clear.
As for binders and warping, I’ve kept a lot of “money” cards in binders and have never, ever noticed warping of any kind. I used Ultra Pro side loading binders
I might consider Card Savers but I’ve read that they are flimsier and less sturdy than top loaders? Also, what’s the humidity level where you live? For me, it’s around 70% to 80% everyday.
@galalyth, Is it recommended to keep double sleeved (KMC inners + Dragonshieldmattes) in topsavers/toploaders? After pulling them out of their top loader, I just found out that some of my FA trainers are a bit curved around their corners. They don’t lay flat on a table. I thought double sleeving + a top loader would help keep out moisture/air completely? What may have caused this?
Binders can often work but too old school for me lol.
I love penny sleeves inside a Card Saver 1. The card itself never needs handling again yet they NEVER fall out and present beautifully for viewing. I have maybe 10,000 stored that way, and have for years, not a single one shows any sign of problems.
Go with the below in the order listed:
PSA grade
Card Saver 1s
Top Loaders with Team Bags
Or if you can’t do the above then
There’s still a chance air and moisture could be in trapped inside, even if your cards are double sleeved. Also, Perfect Fits are sometimes made alittle too tight, causing the card to warp. Ultimately, that’s what caused me to stop double sleeving. It was also alittle more expensive and not worth the hassle.
I would recommend:
“Your Favorite Sleeve” + Card Saver 1
OR
“Your Favorite Sleeve” + Toploader + Fitted Toploader Bag
The curve is gentle and there is no creasing to the card. There are no other defects.
I have looked on grading websites and there is no mention of curvature of cards as a defective quality, but rather, surface, edges, corner, borders etc.
If I were to send this card to the PSA to get graded, would the “bend” affect its rating?
Personally I use Dex Protection 12 pocket portfolios for my sets and Dex Protection 9 pocket portfolios for my high value ungraded cards. IMO they’re the best ringless binders bar none. I do double sleeve with KMC Perfect Fit + Dragonshield/KMC Super series but about 25% of the perfect fits in a pack are way too tight so you have to pay attention or you’ll warp your cards a little. After double sleeving a card you should put it under a heavy book to force any remaining mositure/air out of the sleeve.
In a perfect world card savers are the best but I just cant stand putting cards in them. Maybe I’m doing doing it the wrong way but I always feel like I’m going to bend my card in half when I do lol
