How should I store and protect my cards?

zman1055 · June 2, 2010 12:26AM

I recently inherited a large collection of baseball cards (all in binders) and old coins from my father. I am planning on moving the whole collection to my home, but I live in an old farm house and I am concerned about losing the cards to moisture damage from the house's foundation, or (God forbid) fire before I can catalogue everything. I just want to make sure they're safe in the meantime. Any suggestions for water/fireproofing?

jeffcbay · June 2, 2010 1:03AM

Keep them on the first floor or higher... don't put them in your basement (moisture) or attic (heat). OR you could ship them to me!

j/k

Can we see some example pics of the collection? We all love to see other's collections.

Welcome to the boards!

Hallco · June 2, 2010 1:07AM

You probably need to find one of these!

and oh yeah....

zman1055 · June 2, 2010 11:08PM

Thanks for the tip jeffcbay, and very funny hallco, but I'm looking for some sort of storage container that's relatively low-cost (so the clean room is clearly not an option), will fit my binders, and will protect from water and the threat of fire damage. Does anybody know of something like this? Or could at least point me in the right direction?

hhmag70 · June 2, 2010 11:31PM

I am not sure how big of an area they take up. A gun safe (or similar size) would hold a fair amount. Do a google search on that and get an idea of price and size and see if you feel it is worth it for you.

jeffcbay · June 2, 2010 11:33PM

I don't think anything is fire "proof", but you can buy a fire-resistant safe or gun cabinet I guess. That can get pretty pricey, and you don't want the cabinet to be worth more than the collection. Ever thought of those large Rubbermaid containers? That may keep them pretty dry, and would at least protect them from most smoke damage.

I think you'll first need to determine what part of the collection is the most valuable, then you could probably come up with a better way to store them. Maybe a safety deposit box at a bank?

I'd love to hear exactly what your collection consists of.

smtjoy · June 3, 2010 2:01AM

I store most of my collection in a gun safe in hardwood roop boxes, has worked great for me-

pclpads · June 3, 2010 7:18AM

Costco recently was running an on-line only special for a gun safe, for about $895 delivered. S'posed to be a markdown of $300.

BPorter26 · June 3, 2010 7:24AM

<< <i>I store most of my collection in a gun safe in hardwood roop boxes, has worked great for me- >>

Do you call that "Fort Clemente"?

MCMLVTopps · June 3, 2010 8:04AM

Any chance you have a nice relationship with the local bank that might provide a large enough safe deposit box or two? Gotta be rock solid there, and airconditioned. You might have to open an account (or two) to get the big boxes, but might work.

mittec · June 3, 2010 11:46AM

What kind of cards are they? old or modern,this will determine how far you want to go with this.Are we talking Ruth,Mantle etc or Bonds, Griffey?

stown · June 3, 2010 12:22PM

<< <i>Any chance you have a nice relationship with the local bank that might provide a large enough safe deposit box or two? Gotta be rock solid there, and airconditioned. You might have to open an account (or two) to get the big boxes, but might work. >>

Indeed.

If you're looking for a temp solution, head to the bank. Even for a larger box, shouldn't cost you more than $25/month.

Brian48 · June 3, 2010 12:23PM

I use a gun safe as well.

brian26 · June 3, 2010 12:46PM

<< <i>I store most of my collection in a gun safe in hardwood roop boxes, has worked great for me- >>

How much does one of those babies weigh?

thehallmark · June 3, 2010 1:01PM

Most importantly, get them out of the binders. Those make for very poor long-term storage. Get your best cards over to PSA asap.

I just discovered this weekend that a 200 Count Card Saver I box fits 37 PSA slabs VERY nicely!! Until I convince myself to spend an inordinate amount of $$ on the 180 Count MJ Roop boxes, these will be just fine.

Albertdidit · June 6, 2010 2:57AM

I just found out last week when i was looking through a binder that my 1995 Z-Team Dan Marino and Barry Sanders surfaces were all cracked. I have other Z-Team in top loaders that are perfect.

I know they arent expensive cards but they are beautiful looking. I wonder if i should get everything else out of the binders asap and into top loaders.

The worst thing that ever happened was i had my 71 topps baseball stars in screwdowns since i was a kid and when i took them out it left some white dots on the cards. They came off on the screwdown. If i only had them in recessed scredowns!

MBMiller25 · June 6, 2010 5:02AM

I keep all my cards in cases below. They are air tight and watertight. I put a desicant pack in the case that holds sets, just to take care of any humidity that might get trapped in the case when I open and close it.

I can help you with different sizes of these cases, just PM me.

zman1055 · June 7, 2010 12:59AM

Wow! Thanks a lot for the suggestions. I seem to be getting that I should take the cards out of binders asap. I'm not sure if I want to shell out for a safe, but I may look into some of the other storage boxes. MBMiller25: what's the brand on those cases and how much do they run for?

I know that somebody asked what era the cards are from. I believe that the bulk of the collection comes from the mid 60's through the 70's, mostly the Mets and A's I think (but don't quote me on that!). My dad's collecting fell off when he got married, but I seem to recall him adding things selectively after that. I'll see about posting a couple of pictures as I come to cards that might be interesting.

Brian48 · June 7, 2010 5:21AM

Speaking as someone who has had 35k (by today's estimation) worth of vintage cards stolen back in the mid-90's, GET THE SAFE. It's worth it.

How should I store and protect my cards?

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