Best Methods To Store Pokémon Cards

“What is the best way for me to store my Pokémon cards?” A question we often hear and one that requires a surprisingly long winded answer depending on a whole host of variables! But don’t worry, today we are going to break down all the different methods of card storage, from protecting and organising your bulk right through to your most prized and valuable cards.

Why Store Pokémon cards in Cases?

That seems like a great place to start, why do you want to store your Pokémon cards? Well players and collectors need to store their cards efficiently. It may be that you have loads of bulk cards which you are not using in decks right now but you don’t want to get rid of them just in case some of them become useful in the future. Or maybe you have some prized or valuable cards in your collection which you want to protect and still be able to look through whenever you want. We are going to look at all sorts of options for storing bulk right through to how to store your most valuable cards.

Different Type of Storage Options for Pokemon Cards

Let’s start with your bulk which can be stored loose in specially made boxes. These cardboard boxes are brilliant and allow you to stand the cards in rows. They range from single row boxes all the way up to massive 5 row boxes that can store up to 7,000 unsleeved cards. Just remember though, when you fill one of these up, they are extremely heavy! Maybe you don’t have 7,000 cards that need storing, in which case there are also smaller versions available, such as a single row storage box. These can store between 500 to 1,000 unsleeved cards and are a super cheap way of storing your bulk. The full range can be found here.

Another way of storing your bulk is in the tins and boxes which sealed products come in. Elite Trainer Boxes and Promo tins are a great way of storing your bulk, especially as, when you buy them sealed, Elite Trainer Boxes come with dividers which can be used to separate out your trainers, Pokémon and energy cards (as well as sleeves, packs and dice). The tins are probably the least secure of these options because the cards do not fit perfectly snugly like they do in the ETB’s and storage boxes. This means that you may have to pack around the cards to stop them from sliding around and getting damaged when moving the tins. Any of these options though are a cheap and efficient way of storing bulk though and chances are, you’ve opened some tins or ETB’s and have some sitting around gathering dust.

I wouldn’t recommend any of those first few methods for storing valuable cards. They do not offer the level of individual protection that you would want on the more expensive items of your collection. Firstly, more valuable cards are best placed into a card sleeve to stop any scratching to the surface. Once in the sleeve then we have a couple of options. They can be placed in a toploader, which is a rigid, plastic sleeve that is slightly larger than the card. This will protect it against bending, denting and surface damage as well as most bending. Toploaders are excellent and these can then be stored in a box or tin or stacked somewhere safe. The other, most common option for sleeved cards is to place them into a card binder. Binders are definitely the most popular way of storing cards and allows people to easily look through their collections. Choosing binders is another story though, there are millions of different designs, sizes and styles to choose from.

Binders come in different sizes, from 1 card per page mini binders all the way up to 16 or even 18 cards per page. The most common type are 9 cards per page and these are a nice A4 size (ish), so fit well into backpacks for taking to your local store for trading! Once you’ve decided on a size, there are countless different materials to choose from, but most are generally card safe and manufactured to high standards. From here, there is a selection of card entry ways, for example top loading (cards are placed into the individual slots via the top) or side loading (cards are placed into the individual slots via the side). Personally, I prefer side loading slots as these are much safer for your cards. If you pick up your binder upside down, top loaded cards will fall out of their slots, whereas side loaded ones will stay exactly where they are.

You can even get binders which will hold cards in toploaders, which offers amazing protection for your most valuable cards and also allows you the ability to look through them like any normal binder. These are a bit more rare though and are generally limited to 4 pockets per page, which is still a great way of storing, protecting and displaying those more valuable cards.

If you have some individual cards which are of high value and you want to store them safely and still display them, then you may want to consider a Magnetic Card Case. These thick, plastic cases come in different thicknesses and are perfect for keeping a single card safe. You simply place the card inside one half and the small magnets around the edge keep the 2 halves snapped together tightly. They don’t allow any dust in and also have some degree of UV protection.

You may have some graded cards and there are even specialist methods for storing and protecting these. Firstly, it’s a good idea to put them into a Graded Card Sleeve, which will protect the slab from any surface scratches and dust. These can then be stored in special cases, which look like armoured suitcases and are padded inside which allow all the graded cards to stand in slots while being fully covered and protected. These are quite a pricey item but if you have lots of extremely high value graded cards then it is definitely worth it.

Other Tips for caring for your Pokémon Cards

Other general storage tip is to keep your cards out of direct sunlight if possible and avoid high humidity. The sun can damage cards, causing them to fade and become brittle. Humidity is the worst thing for cards, particularly holo cards as they will bend out of shape and quickly resemble ice cream scoops!

If you have cards which are valuable to you, whether that’s sentimental or monetary, then they are worth protecting. Find the type of protection that is most appropriate and keep your cards in mint condition with some of the ideas above. It is worth spending a little bit now to allow you to enjoy your cards forever.