When storing raw sets, subsets, ect...
 

Other than placeing the cards into sheets and binders, which do you prefer, Card Savers or a Top Loader w/ a penny sleeve and why?

Or is there another option?

Sorry if this has been discussed before, Rich

I prefer the Card Saver method. I don't use a penny sleeve though. I know some people do, but I don't know what the point of that is.

For me it depends on the card and set.

Recent commons or less than NM cards - Just go in the box.

better recent cards, fragile cards (Topps lazer) sortof old stuff that's in nice condition - Penny sleeve.

Mid 70's back, really nice ones toploader and penny sleeve, same for VG stars, and maybe more fragile beaters.

Very few in cardsavers, they stick up too much for the shoeboxes or the 4 row boxes I've been using. And I'm bummed that the new 4 row boxes won't fir toploaders.

None of the above is a hard rule, I have cards in all sorts of holders, and many that should be holdered but haven't been yet. That's one of the drawbacks of a biggish collection, paying for all the darn holders.

Steve B

Storages
 

I have all the Topps sets, and they are all in binders ( I collect on ungraded cards and immediately free any graded card I end up with) in 9 pocket sheets without sleeves

Thank you everyone for your input!

I've always kept my raw cards in a penny sleeve and then put them in a top loader but now I'm thinking about useing the card saver method. Is one (in your opinion) better at presentation, viewing, handling, storing and preservation? I know it's a matter of taste. Just curious on what others feel and do.

I have many graded cards and have never set any free, but I think it's time for a few to get some fresh air. I'm not going to encapsulate what I have raw and I want to keep the subsets consistent.

I am thinking of keeping the slips and attaching them to the cardsaver/top loader.

CardSaverII
 

I don't like cardsaverII's as they are too snug and I feel like when you slip it in and out (that's what she said) you can further damage the card. Card Saver I's built for pre-57 cards work better. Always use a sleeve with toploaders as the card will move around if not...Always use a sleeve with screw downs unless it has a recessed edge as surface scratching can occur. Not sure about sleeve with cardsavers-- probably wouldn't be a bad idea. Vinyl sheets are ok but some allow top corners to peak out (arrgh). In sets, i put empty sheets in front/back of binder so the first/last sheets of cards don't bunch up

Perfect advice...couldn't agree more!

I only recently started saving the grading slips from my "liberated" cards. I don't keep them with the cards, but I do keep them in a separate storage box as a reference. If ever I wanted to sell my previously graded cards, I'm sure having the slips would help me describe them properly, if nothing else.

What I'd really like to know is, what with all the attention given to PSA (and other grading companies) population reports, is there any effort on the company's part to DELETE cards from the population that have been proven to be cracked out? (I'm sure a photo of the card and its grading slip with the broken slab would be sufficient proof.) I've often considered contacting PSA with this question, thinking that a scan of my 100+ orphaned PSA slips might get somebody's attention.

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Binders
 

I personally keep my cards in binders, no penny sleeves or anything like that. Graded cards get broken out and the slips get saved with the card.

I use Cardsaver I's then I put them into 4 pocket sheets and into binders. That way the cards are well protected but also in binders for convenient review. I use a clamshell style all poly binder by Unikeep which has both a very slim squared profile [useful for limited shelf space] and no open edges to snag sheets and bend cards.

http://www.unikeep.com/

For small cards, like strips or 1950 Bowman, I put them into the Cardsavers sideways, push them to the bottom, then cut the holders down so they fit into 9-pocket pages, then into the binders. Very efficient for storing the smaller stuff.

If I don't care about condition, I will put them in 9-pocket sheets and into the binders.

I also use their small binders for postcards, which I find very convenient, with their one-pocket sleeves.

Only drawback is that their thickest binder is 1.5", so a good sized set will take several. I am not a set guy, so I never find it to be a drawback, but I could see how it could be problematic.

They also have a really thin binder [half-inch], which I use with a 1 pocket sheet for the few large slabs I have, one per. Probably overkill but since I only have a few of them and they are really 'important' cards for my collection I figured it was worth it to protect and present them nicely.

Currently use the soft sleeve/toploader method but I'm considering switching over to binder/pages (I'm not sure why, OCD I guess).

If I do so, I'd like to go with the penny sleeves first then into pages. What brand of pages work best for this method? Both for 1952-1956 Topps (8/page) and standard (9/page)? Also for 64 Topps Giants size (4/page) without soft sleeves?

Looking for the best fit and highest clarity. :confused:

Every card I have is first put in a penny sleeve. All baseball goes into Card Saver 1's and all football go in top loaders. Don't ask me why that is...:).

I do like the ability to handle each indvidual card and putting them in sheets hinders that.

Plus, as I have mentioned before on here I find some of the cards "creep" up and leave the top exposed. And, since I am OCD on some things that just irks me to no end.

Card Creep
 

Erik--you may have the makings of a good Stephen King short story here. Cards silently slipping out of their sheets and binders at night and creating mayhem. Maybe a dark version of Toy Story :)

Nobody at the TPG companies care about that kind of stuff, there was a thread a few months ago that discussed this briefly. I remember posting a picture of all the sllips I have accumulated by using my handy dandy butter knife (which isn't as cool as Al's bolt cutter).

Doug

I used to do binders, but then I figured out how much shelving I'd need and how much the binders and pages would cost. And realized that the binder/pages would be more than the set inside.

At that point I went for the shoebox boxes and the 4 row boxes.

As a somewhat amusing aside, last year I bought a big batch of british cards and when it arrived I was amazed how heavy the box was. when I opened it I was more confused, initially thinking they'd shipped the wrong lot. Then I realized the seller had started by placing a 91 score set binder and all into a flat rate box then the stacks of the ones I'd bought, and finished by packing the rest of the box with more 91 score.

Steve B

lolol

Hey, Doug. It's not the grading companies' interest that I'm talking about as much as the consumers' interest. So many "slab collectors" put so much stock in the population reports that I think they'd want more accurate numbers. Sure, there might really be ### of a certain high-value card out there in PSA slabs, but when you have collectors like me who crack Mantle cards and Nolan Ryan rookies and who-knows-what-else out of their PSA slabs, it means there might actually be only ## of a certain high-value card in a PSA slab. That's all I was trying to say. I do appreciate your response to my comment!

I understand exactly what you mean, and don't disagree, however the grading companies would need to care about the best interests of the consumer for a change to occur in the tracking of such things, and I do not believe that they do.

They make a lot of money, maybe if they offered people like you and me a quarter for every slip we returned then we would do so, and they could keep the counts correct for all the... people ...who care about said counts.

Doug

Slips
 

You keep saving those slips Doug. Someday, someone will care ;)

Laughing.

And when they do... I'll burn them!

Insert evil laugh here.

Doug