How do you store/find your cards that are in multiple sets?

[AMBST95]

I was looking through the archive section tonight trying to get some ideas, but wanted to try to get some fresh feedback. I apologize in advance if this has been rehashed too often. Here's my question. As my collection is getting larger, I have more cards that are a part of multiple sets that I am working on. For example, I have a T206 Cobb that I count toward my T206 company set, my HOF player set, and a Cobb player set. I have always stored the players sets as groups seperate from the company sets, but finding cards to share and look at is becoming more of a hassle as my collection grows and new sets are created. What do you do when your collection becomes so unwieldy? Should I just give in to photobucket albums to view my player/company sets and store the cards in chronological order to avoid the confusion? I don't want to lose track of where things are, but I enjoy being able to look through my cards as the groups they've been collected as. Does anyone use place markers (ie - This card is on loan to the Cobb set) or am I setting myself up for more headaches down the road by keeping the player sets stored separately? I would love to hear your ideas, especially from those with both player and company sets.

[markf31]

Most of the time I've seen this done with those individuals who collect raw cards and store them in pages/binders, is they make a high quality, double sided copy of the card, trim it down to size, and slip the copy into the binder page.

You could do this even if your cards are graded and entombed in plastic. Scan, print and trim a copy of the card, as many as you need for your various sets and subsets, and place the copy into a card sleeve and now you have a replica to look at as you shuffle through your cards.

Taking your Cobb example, you could keep the actual Cobb card itself in the T206 set, while having a copy/duplicate version in your HOF subset and another in your Cobb subset.

[jwgators]

I think the only reasonable answer is to buy multiple copies of the card.

[brewing]

I feel your pain.
I have bought lesser condition copies to place in set binders. Although, I have an idea to stop that practice. I will be scanning 4 graded cards and having a 5x7 photo made. Then I will cut each into 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 photos, to put in the set binder. I'll keep the slabs in their drawer or in the display case.

[novakjr]

for me regular cards, no matter what set they belong to, are sorted by date, then number(or alpa, if it applies)... My only real exception being modern HOF rookie cards. If I have one in a complete set, I also have to have a single for my HOF rookie collection. My sets are stored separately from singles.. Luckily for me, my complete sets only run back to '74 for now...Once I start completing older sets, I may have a problem allowing myself to spend for a double of a high-priced card..

[jimivintage]

Originally Posted by novakjr

for me regular cards, no matter what set they belong to, are sorted by date, then number(or alpa, if it applies)... My only real exception being modern HOF rookie cards. If I have one in a complete set, I also have to have a single for my HOF rookie collection. My sets are stored separately from singles.. Luckily for me, my complete sets only run back to '74 for now...Once I start completing older sets, I may have a problem allowing myself to spend for a double of a high-priced card..

This has always been a problem for me, too. I hated having to buy a duplicate. Just off the top of my head the '73T Schmidt RC comes to mind. Let's face it, that card makes the '73T set worth something, so it's a must have card if you want to feel like you're gaining ground on the set. BUT, being a HOF RC Collector, too, well, I guess I have to buy another, right? Ultimately, I'd rather own duplicates to make it all happen, but inside, my heart is telling me, "dude, you could spend that money on a RC you DON'T have!"

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by jimivintage

This has always been a problem for me, too. I hated having to buy a duplicate. Just off the top of my head the '73T Schmidt RC comes to mind. Let's face it, that card makes the '73T set worth something, so it's a must have card if you want to feel like you're gaining ground on the set. BUT, being a HOF RC Collector, too, well, I guess I have to buy another, right? Ultimately, I'd rather own duplicates to make it all happen, but inside, my heart is telling me, "dude, you could spend that money on a RC you DON'T have!"

That's one of the reasons that I haven't worked on my complete Topps run in quite a while. Don't get me wrong, I'll still pick up cheap lots of commons here and there, but for the most part, that collection has pretty much stalled out in favor of my HOF rookie collection and modern rookie/autos..

Putting together a rookie set of my fantasy team each year is becoming a habit, same for the Indians teams...

[dabigyankeeman]

A lifesize good scan can look exactly like your card. I have done that with a few cards, and they look great in plastic sheets. Markf31 said it perfectly above, it works great with cards in slabs too as he said.

[Runscott]

If I can ever acquire this collection, I plan to fill a large bowl with sand, put a plastic palm tree in the middle, and stand them up in tobacco top-loaders.

[AMBST95]

Thanks for the response so far.

novakjr - for postwar cards, having a lesser grade duplicate makes sense and isn't cost prohibitive. I just can't afford to do that for most prewar cards.

Ultimately, owning 3 of each of the T206 Cobbs or 33 Ruths would be ideal but it's not happening. As I was starting this thread, I really was feeling that using a chronological approach on prewar with my HOFs intermixed would be the most logical way to go and I think this has helped solidify that thinking.

My postwar collection really consists of 3 sets: HOF RCs, Orioles Team Hall of Fame RCs, and Cal Ripken Jr cards. I think I might use scans for the time being and occasionally back fill the 9 cards or so that I need duplicates from the O's set. These cards probably make sense just to leave together in sets as fishing out some of the modern HOFs from the hundreds or Ripkens I own would just be annoying.

Thanks again for your insight.