Card Storage

MrMoo

How do you generally store your cards? I am using a Top Loader binder but it is getting cumbersome. To fit in one card I have to rearrange a bunch of pages. I am thinking of putting the top loader in a team bag then boxing them up. Just wondering how others do it.

1420sports

PSA black boxes and MJ Roop storage boxes

67standup

MJ Roop is hands down the best storage product available, especially for set collectors. For singles, they have a new archival box (same format as the old, but wood), that get kudos by many.

Link

MrMoo

MJ Roop has some nice products. A little pricey. Maybe when I get closer to actually filling it I will get one.

DeutscherGeist

I am a very organized and meticulous person by nature, so let me give my 2 cents.


on cards that you like and really want to preserve and are below $50, this is what I do.

I put the cards in penny sleeves (use Ultra Pro Platinum as they do not have those particles in them that dent the cards) and store them in 50, 100, or 200 ct boxes. Then put those ???ct boxes in some bigger storage container. This is an inexpensive way to store cards, but it is also very safe for the cards as the penny sleeves keep the elements away, especially when they are stored in a manner that fills up the ???ct boxes so that no air is left in the penny sleeve containing the card--it is literally squeezed out. the top part of the card might be the most exposed part but even that is covered by the upper flap of the sleeve squeezed shut by the pressure of the other cards stacked on either side.

It may be tricky putting in the cards in the sleeves, so cut a 1/4 inch of one of the upper corners and then practice with a common to see how easy it is to put them in without damage.

I use surgical gloves when handling raw cards to avoid putting fingerprint residue on them (it contains some acids which can burn or yellow the card with time). By using gloves, you also prevent prints from getting on the sleeve too--sometimes a cloudy sleeve looks hideous. Erring on the side of cleanliness is never wrong anyway in this hobby.

The good thing about the ???ct boxes is that you can label what you have in them. In my case, I can label one box 1987 Donruss MINT rookies, then I will know where my David Cone and Kevin Brown cards are.

Let's say you want to look through you cards, then that's easy too, since all you have to do is grab a ???ct box and open it, and pull out a deck and shuffle through them real quick (your choice to wear gloves in this case). It goes fast and your cards are not harmed by fingerprints or handling, unless some extra force is applied. You got to be careful no matter what protection your cards have anyway. For more valuable cards, I still say penny sleeves, but then put them in a semi-rigid top loader as well (sometimes card savers work too). You will need a different type of box to store those, but well worth it.

Again, I abide on these guidelines for long term storage. If you want to occasionally display a card, you need a penny sleeve plus more, like a screw down (don't apply too much pressure on the card when driving the screws in).

MrMoo

Where can Ultra Pro Platinum sleeves be found online at a good price? I don't think my local store sells the Platinum brand. I don't have enough cards I care about to store like that. But that may come in handy if I ever finish any sets. Thatnks for the input.

Woodson28Fan

What about storing some less expensive raw cards? Anyone heard anything about pro-mold snap-tight cases? Just curious?

Aknot

I dont like the "snap" cases. To much can go wrong and the card once the "lid" is off is to "free". Less expensive raw cards can just go into penny sleeves then a box.

For me anything above $10 goes into a penny sleeve and TL.

Under that just a penny sleeve.

MorrellMan

Pretty simple for me too: any card with condition worth preserving (commons and stars) gets put in Card Saver II's and stored in 200 count CS II boxes. Raw sets are mounted in 9 pocket Ultra Pros, placed in a D ring binder and stored flat. My registry sets are all low count sets (20 cards or less), so storage of them has not become a problem...yet. So far, I've been keeping my collection of submission gradings in the same box they came in from PSA. I assume I will have to rethink this shortly.

My experience has been not so much what you use to store cards as how much you've had to drink just before doing the storage.

edited to add: on the subject of what NOT to use. Again, my opinion only, but I hate any holder that has recesses that try to fit the card - too much possibility of corner damage. This includes snap cases, two piece screwdowns that have recessed centers, multi-count plastic boxes, etc. There is a two piece plastic box (I think it's a 150 count) that will comfortably hold a hundred or so cards IN PENNY SLEEVES. Those are the only kinds of card cases I'll ever use.

magellan

BCW Supplies

jjsportscards Inc.

I've used both these places MrMoo.

grilloj39

raw sets...I use penny sleeves and then place card w/sleeve in ultra-pro 9 pocket pages in binder.

raw singles...I use card saver Is without penny sleeve and place them in storage boxes.

graded cards...for PSA I use the black (and plastic blue) PSA storage boxes with graded card sleeves. For GAI, I use graded card sleeves as well and place in plain gray graded card storage boxes.

I am a stickler for being meticulous and neat so I neatly label (computer-generated labels) all my raw cards. I place a small label on the top of the penny sleeve and on the top of the card savers.

The outside of my boxes are computer-generated labeled as well. I try to organize my cards by sport and then by year.

My Roberto Clemente and Bobby Orr graded card player sets are in graded card pages (4 to each page) and placed in a nice-looking 3-ring binder. My next player set will probably be Carl Yastrzemski. So I may get a MJ Roop storage boxes to store all my player sets in one box.

gregmadduxfan

Here is what I am thinking about doing so I thought I would get your opinions on this. I have spent a lot of time organizing a very large collection and the majority of my cards are sorted by player in 100-800 count boxes depending upon the qty I have. The only problem with that is any card with any value that I put in a top loader I put in other boxes.

I noticed MJ roop has those labels for the shoe boxes which look pretty decent and aren't too bad, I was wondering if anyone has bought any of those and had any input. I want to get almost all of my cards put in standard shoe boxes and then organize them alphabetically for each sport.

I was also thinking of putting all the inexpensive player cards into team bags where I can fit 30 or more sometimes, that way they won't move around as much in the shoe boxes, what do you guys think.

Also, looking at the set binders MJ Roop offers I was wondering if anyone has any input on the 86 fleer binder that they have on special right now. Thanks guys.

gregmadduxfan

Anyone have a suggestion?

RedRomad275

I keep my raw sets in 9 pocket pages with binders. I never thought of putting cards in penny sleeves in the pages. Singles are kept in penny sleeves in ## count boxes. My graded cards are another story. I need to get some sleeves and boxes for those. MJ Roop seems to be the way to go.

I have heard several ways to store Binders. Some say store upright and others flat. What is the preffered way? Mine are upright in a bookcase. Any ideas?