Player collectors...advice please!

[MrMet]

So I just hit 75 different cards for my Victor Cruz PC, and sticking them in the order I receive them in into 9 pocket pages isn't really working for me anymore.
What do you guys do to sort/arrange your cards?
By company/by year....?
Something else?
And then what happens when I get a new card that goes back? I like the 9 pocket pages cuz I can look through them easy, but they kinda hinder sorting...

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[AmishDave]

I go RC year in one section, then the non RC to current stuff in another. Minor stuff in soft sleeves, all by company and 'hits' or nicer cards in top loads or magnetics, again, by company.

 

[pander69]

I sort by year, brand and parallel version. I have pretty much everything in top loaders in order, but have gotten a bit behind. For me I like tracking down an older one and getting a spot filled.

 

[mrmopar]

I have never really stored cards in pages, but if I were, I would probably try to determine how many I needed and store them by year. I'd want to leave blank spots for cards i still needed, to avoid having to move them around all the time. As far as how by year, maybe alphabetical? I suppose some oddball unknown before cards may pop up now and again, so if you left a few extra spots for those, that might work and still keep the display fairly clean.

I keep mine in top loaders in boxes, by year. I currently sort them in a way that I have always kind of used and that is Topps/Finest/SC/Bowman/OPC products first, then UD, Pinnacle, Donruss/Leaf/Studio, Fleer, Score, Pacific, Sportflic, then any oddball stuff (new or old). As you might see by the brands, I developed this sorting technique in the mid 90s, but it carries over pretty well for older cards too (just fewer brands to worry about).

 

[Gwynn545]

When I get a new Gwynn card, I:
1. Put in drawer
2. Wife moves it to garage
3. I move bit back to drawer, tell her not to move it
4. Wife moves it to garage again because drawer is too messy
5. Worried that it could get damaged, I move it to a box.
6. Months later, move to another box
7. Remembering I never showed it off, or need to show someone, or just to brag, I take it out, scan it, and put it into the drawer.
8. (see #1 above, repeat)

 

[Hawk8]

I stored cards in pages when I was kid. I put everything in a soft sleeve and then a top loader and store them in three row shoe boxes in year then brand order so basically in the same order they appear when you print off a player checklist. My doubles (unless they are rookies, game used, autos, or serial numbered) are stored in the same order in no plastic in 5 row shoe boxes.

 

[AnthonyCorona]

When I get a new Gwynn card, I:
1. Put in drawer
2. Wife moves it to garage
3. I move bit back to drawer, tell her not to move it
4. Wife moves it to garage again because drawer is too messy
5. Worried that it could get damaged, I move it to a box.
6. Months later, move to another box
7. Remembering I never showed it off, or need to show someone, or just to brag, I take it out, scan it, and put it into the drawer.
8. (see #1 above, repeat)

That made me laugh out loud, thank you for your service this evening

 

[Rabs]

Here's the sorting order for my cards. I have an entire 3 row shoebox full of Brian Orakpo cards since I supercollect him:

Year
Set
Parallel/Insert
Serial Number

So for example, I have all my 2009 cards of him first (his rookie year), then all his 2010, 2011, etc. Within each year it goes by set, so Absolute is first, Bowman, etc. and ends usually with Upper Deck sets. Within each set I then go by scarcity, so the base card would be first, then a parallel, etc. I like using Topps Chrome as an example, the base card would be first, refractor 2nd, xfractor 3rd, superfractor last. Make sense?

If you go here to my bucket of him I have my pictures organized the exact same way to give you a better idea. Works great to me and it is easy to find a card quickly if I need to:

http://s58.photobucket.com/user/HollaMV7/library/Personal Collection/Brian Orakpo

 

[BiggioBrooks755]

Here's the sorting order for my cards. I have an entire 3 row shoebox full of Brian Orakpo cards since I supercollect him:

Year
Set
Parallel/Insert
Serial Number

So for example, I have all my 2009 cards of him first (his rookie year), then all his 2010, 2011, etc. Within each year it goes by set, so Absolute is first, Bowman, etc. and ends usually with Upper Deck sets. Within each set I then go by scarcity, so the base card would be first, then a parallel, etc. I like using Topps Chrome as an example, the base card would be first, refractor 2nd, xfractor 3rd, superfractor last. Make sense?

If you go here to my bucket of him I have my pictures organized the exact same way to give you a better idea. Works great to me and it is easy to find a card quickly if I need to:

http://s58.photobucket.com/user/HollaMV7/library/Personal Collection/Brian Orakpo

Pretty much same way for me

 

[Joey_peapod]

I just use a 4 row box and put everything in order by value and types of card(like all platinum medallions together) everything goes in a magnetic and team bag.

 

[olerud363]

I do the same as rabs - by year, then alphabetical by brand, then in descending order of scarcity. All my cards are in penny sleeves and toploaders in four 2-row shoeboxes. (My LCS doesn't carry any other size row boxes that will fit toploaders.) I keep a supply of toploaders on hand from regular size up to 180-pt. "Uncirculated" cards get put in a team bag to keep the case from getting scuffed, then they go right into the 2-row box.

 

[michaelstepper]

For my griffeys i have anything that "booked" $5 and under in 2- 3" 3 ring binders sorted by year and for the most part in alphabetical order by set name for said year. Anything more went b to n top loaders or magnetics

 

[jay1065]

I would probably try to determine how many I needed and store them by year. I'd want to leave blank spots for cards i still needed, to avoid having to move them around all the time. As far as how by year, maybe alphabetical? I suppose some oddball unknown before cards may pop up now and again, so if you left a few extra spots for those, that might work and still keep the display fairly clean.

This pretty much sums up how I use 3 ring binders/9 pocket pages to store my Burks collection. Oversize cards/oddballs are the only items that don't make it into the binders. Size specific holders for those.

 

[Rabs]

I do the same as rabs - by year, then alphabetical by brand, then in descending order of scarcity. All my cards are in penny sleeves and toploaders in four 2-row shoeboxes. (My LCS doesn't carry any other size row boxes that will fit toploaders.) I keep a supply of toploaders on hand from regular size up to 180-pt. "Uncirculated" cards get put in a team bag to keep the case from getting scuffed, then they go right into the 2-row box.

Great minds think alike! Forgot to mention all my cards are in sleeves and top loaders. I actually keep all cars in penny sleeves and any card that books $2 or more in a top loader. Might be overkill to some but I like protecting my cards.

 

[MrMet]

Thank you all for the responses!!!
I think I like keeping them in the 9pocket pages, for ease of looking through. Which brings up another question...do you guys with the cards in boxes ever look through them and see what you have? Seems hard to enjoy the cards if they just sit in a box all the time.

This pretty much sums up how I use 3 ring binders/9 pocket pages to store my Burks collection. Oversize cards/oddballs are the only items that don't make it into the binders. Size specific holders for those.

Like I said, I like the binder system to easily see the cards...BUT...stupid question but please bear with me...how do you know where to leave spaces to be able to fill in other cards? That seems like a ton of research...I'm guessing through Beckett, but I don't think I have time for that. Is there an easier solution I may be missing?

 

[Brewer Andy]

Thank you all for the responses!!!
I think I like keeping them in the 9pocket pages, for ease of looking through. Which brings up another question...do you guys with the cards in boxes ever look through them and see what you have? Seems hard to enjoy the cards if they just sit in a box all the time.



Like I said, I like the binder system to easily see the cards...BUT...stupid question but please bear with me...how do you know where to leave spaces to be able to fill in other cards? That seems like a ton of research...I'm guessing through Beckett, but I don't think I have time for that. Is there an easier solution I may be missing?

A) yes, I still look through my player collections that are stored in boxes, not a total pain really, just need a flat surface

B) I used to use the "blank space" method and yes, started with Beckett. But I hated all the blank spaces. Those for cards I was missing and even more for those cards that really deserved to be in something sturdier based on value or rarity. Then you have to factor in that over time you will find numerous cards not listed by Beckett. Keeping the binder in order became more of a hassle than a large box with top loaders and like I said, I still look through them. Usually on a day when I have the house to myself and the kids are gone lol

 

[Hawk8]

Thank you all for the responses!!!
I think I like keeping them in the 9pocket pages, for ease of looking through. Which brings up another question...do you guys with the cards in boxes ever look through them and see what you have? Seems hard to enjoy the cards if they just sit in a box all the time.

Like I said, I like the binder system to easily see the cards...BUT...stupid question but please bear with me...how do you know where to leave spaces to be able to fill in other cards? That seems like a ton of research...I'm guessing through Beckett, but I don't think I have time for that. Is there an easier solution I may be missing?

I love popping the top on one of my Dawson boxes and looking through the cards. Plus when you have as many cards of your player like I do then boxes take up a lot less space. Even though I don't do the binder thing anymore, the problem with leaving spaces in pages is finding cards not listed on Beckett. I don't know how you do your pages, but when I did do pages I would do sections in my binder. For example I would do a page for 1991 Donruss and if it didn't fill up then it didnt fill up, then I would start a new page for 1991 Fleer. That left plenty of room for possible pickups.

 

[olerud363]

FWIW Here's a video I made a while ago showing how I store my Olerud PC.

http://youtu.be/RV9ZkDA92s0

 

[Hawk8]

FWIW Here's a video I made a while ago showing how I store my Olerud PC.

http://youtu.be/RV9ZkDA92s0

Enjoyed watching your video. I liked your supply box, I have one in a two row shoe box for easy transportation but I refill it from my bookshelf. I have to keep a good supply with all the Dawson cards I buy and not having a local LCS.

 

[BiggioBrooks755]

Thank you all for the responses!!!
I think I like keeping them in the 9pocket pages, for ease of looking through. Which brings up another question...do you guys with the cards in boxes ever look through them and see what you have? Seems hard to enjoy the cards if they just sit in a box all the time.


Like I said, I like the binder system to easily see the cards...BUT...stupid question but please bear with me...how do you know where to leave spaces to be able to fill in other cards? That seems like a ton of research...I'm guessing through Beckett, but I don't think I have time for that. Is there an easier solution I may be missing?

Every time I get a new card I get to look though them