Hi everyone, I'm new here. I've browsed the forums for various topics including this one. I've also researched this topic extensively on youtube channels and other forums, but without the information I need.
Intro: I collected and played pokemon cards and games when I was young and it was first introduced to the US. I lost touch after Gen 3 and a little over a year ago I picked it back up again. I collect sets and am beginning to casually play, but my collection is more of a priority than playing.
So here's my point: What's the best way to organize my cards?
Currently I have 6x 3" 3 ring binders from UltraPro. I organize my binders by generation of cards and shove as many sets as I can in each binder. So I have 1 binder for Gen 1, 1 for Gen 2, 2 for Gen 5, and 2 for Gen 6. My 1st edition Team Rocket and Gym Heroes sets are doubled up into the same pages with the 1st edition cards in front of the unlimited, so all pockets have 4 cards per pocket. Also, for the newer sets with reverse holos, I also double up and place the reverse holo versions in front of the regular versions, so most pockets end up with 4 cards in them. For Gen 1 and Gen 2, I sleeve the Holos upside down before placing into the pages; for Gen 6 I only sleeve EX and up in the same manner.
I organize my cards this way because it's an easy way to simply grab a binder of a bunch of sets. I've seen people buy 1" binders for each individual set, but it just seems too much. With 3" binders, my collection is more consolidated. Plus a lot of people separate their 1st editions from unlimited and their reverse holos from regular, but this just creates another binder or extra pages of "duplicates" since the cards are essentially the same. I like having all cards from one set in one place, and so doubling up seems logical to save space.
Here is my issue: Is there a better way of organizing my collection? So my main two concerns are having multiple cards per pocket and adequate protection. I don't move my binders around too much, so I'm not worried about them slipping out. The cards stay in relatively ok for the amount of movement I subject them to, but I'm concerned about damage to cards. I've seen cards stick together over time. Will my pockets with 4 cards to a page eventually start sticking together? Also, I started sleeving the valuable cards upside down to prevent dust intrusion. What about the other cards? Obviously they're not exactly valuable, but I want my cards to be in good condition. So how serious is this dust problem over time?
Everyone who collects sets: How do you organize your cards and why? I want my cards to remain in the best condition, and I'm not sure if my method allows that.
Sorry for long post. [Insert potato]
P.S. I'll post some pics of my collection some time later so you have an idea how my organization is.
Intro: I collected and played pokemon cards and games when I was young and it was first introduced to the US. I lost touch after Gen 3 and a little over a year ago I picked it back up again. I collect sets and am beginning to casually play, but my collection is more of a priority than playing.
So here's my point: What's the best way to organize my cards?
Currently I have 6x 3" 3 ring binders from UltraPro. I organize my binders by generation of cards and shove as many sets as I can in each binder. So I have 1 binder for Gen 1, 1 for Gen 2, 2 for Gen 5, and 2 for Gen 6. My 1st edition Team Rocket and Gym Heroes sets are doubled up into the same pages with the 1st edition cards in front of the unlimited, so all pockets have 4 cards per pocket. Also, for the newer sets with reverse holos, I also double up and place the reverse holo versions in front of the regular versions, so most pockets end up with 4 cards in them. For Gen 1 and Gen 2, I sleeve the Holos upside down before placing into the pages; for Gen 6 I only sleeve EX and up in the same manner.
I organize my cards this way because it's an easy way to simply grab a binder of a bunch of sets. I've seen people buy 1" binders for each individual set, but it just seems too much. With 3" binders, my collection is more consolidated. Plus a lot of people separate their 1st editions from unlimited and their reverse holos from regular, but this just creates another binder or extra pages of "duplicates" since the cards are essentially the same. I like having all cards from one set in one place, and so doubling up seems logical to save space.
Here is my issue: Is there a better way of organizing my collection? So my main two concerns are having multiple cards per pocket and adequate protection. I don't move my binders around too much, so I'm not worried about them slipping out. The cards stay in relatively ok for the amount of movement I subject them to, but I'm concerned about damage to cards. I've seen cards stick together over time. Will my pockets with 4 cards to a page eventually start sticking together? Also, I started sleeving the valuable cards upside down to prevent dust intrusion. What about the other cards? Obviously they're not exactly valuable, but I want my cards to be in good condition. So how serious is this dust problem over time?
Everyone who collects sets: How do you organize your cards and why? I want my cards to remain in the best condition, and I'm not sure if my method allows that.
Sorry for long post. [Insert potato]
P.S. I'll post some pics of my collection some time later so you have an idea how my organization is.
