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How to store your trading cards

Five things ruin cards, in this order: sunlight, moisture, pressure, fingerprints and rubber bands. Get rid of them and a collection will last for decades. Store the cards upright at room temperature, somewhere dark and dry, and avoid garages, basements and attic storage, where both temperature and humidity swing.

Our own stockroom. The boxes stand upright in the dark, never stacked under weight.

Quick facts

Five threats	Light, moisture, pressure, fingerprints and rubber bands
Light	Fades cards within months in a sunny window
Moisture	Warps the card and makes boxes come apart
Pressure	Stacked boxes bend the cards at the bottom
Best place	Dark, cool, dry and upright

The five threats

Sunlight	Fades printing ink and yellows plastic. Irreversible, and only visible when it is too late.
Moisture	Makes cards curl and the glue in old boxes give way.
Pressure	Tall stacks and overfilled binders leave cards permanently bent.
Fingerprints	Permanent on foil. Oil works its way into the surface.
Rubber bands	Leave marks across the cards that never go away.

Choose storage based on what you have

Bulk and duplicates	A card box of the right size, with dividers for sorting
A complete set	Binder with side-loading pockets
Individual valuables	Penny sleeve and toploader, or a magnetic holder
Graded cards	Binder pages for slabs, a case with compartments for the slabs, or a stand if they are to be displayed
Unopened boxes	Upright, dark and cool, preferably in an acrylic case
Decks you play	Deck box of the right size, one per deck

Hinged storage cases for a handful of cards

A hinged storage case is made from a single piece of clear plastic. The lid is attached and closes with a snap lock, so it cannot get lost. Ultra Pro's Hinged Card Storage Case is available for 15, 25 and 35 cards in standard size and normal thickness, up to 35pt. The plastic is PVC-free and acid-free, and because the case is completely transparent, you can see the top card without opening it.

15 cards	The best cards from an opened pack, until they are sorted.
25 cards	Cards for trading that you carry with you, or a small set that is to be kept together.
35 cards	A shorter deck, or cards from one team that are to be kept together.

Expect fewer cards if they are in sleeves, because sleeved cards take up more space. If more cards are to be stored, a larger box works better, and single cards that are to be shipped more often go in a team bag.

Card boxes with compartments for decks and sets

Ultimate Guard's Stack'n'Safe 480 is a clear plastic box with six compartments of equal size, and three dividers can be removed to make the compartments larger. The lid fits securely but lifts off easily. The boxes can be stacked on top of each other to save space on the shelf, and one box measures 223 × 102 × 98 millimetres.

Without sleeves	840 cards
In one sleeve	480 cards
Double sleeved	400 cards

Ultimate Guard states the capacity for its own sleeves, and sleeves from other brands may give a slightly different capacity. The box works well for several decks or a set sorted by type or colour. If you carry a single deck with you, a deck box works better, and cards in toploaders have their own boxes.

Cardboard card boxes for bulk

A cardboard card box is the cheapest way to store many cards. The cards stand on edge in long rows, and the box comes in several sizes. The smallest have one row and an attached lid that folds down over the cards. The largest have two or four rows and a loose lid that covers the whole box. The boxes can be stacked.

550 cards	One row, 19 cm long. A deck with spare cards, or the cards from a display.
1,000 cards	One row, 38 cm long. One set at a time, one box per set.
2,000 cards	Two rows under a loose lid. A set in one row and the duplicates in the other.
4,000 cards	Four rows under a loose lid. The whole pile of common cards and cards for trading.

The number on the box applies to cards from trading card games without sleeves. Sports cards are printed on thicker card stock, and about 400 of them fit in the smallest box, 800 in a box for 1,000 cards and 3,200 in one for 4,000. Cards in sleeves take up even more space. Cardboard does not withstand moisture, so the boxes should be kept somewhere dry, and a full box for 4,000 cards is so heavy that it should be carried with your hands under the bottom. High-value cards are better kept in a toploader or magnetic holder than among the bulk.

The climate

Room temperature. A steady temperature matters more than the exact figure.
Low humidity. An ordinary wardrobe in a heated home is enough.
Dark. Direct sunlight on a shelf is enough to damage both cards and boxes within a couple of years.
Avoid exterior walls in older houses, where condensation can form.
Never a garage, basement or attic. The swings there are the worst thing there is for paper.

Upright, not in stacks

Cards lying in tall stacks are exposed to uneven pressure over time and can bend permanently. Stand the boxes like books on a bookshelf. The same goes for sealed boxes: they should stand, not be stacked on top of each other, because the weight presses on the cardboard and a bent corner lowers the value just as much as a crease on a card.

The binder is the most common accident

Most ruined collections are damaged in a binder, either because cards fall out when the binder is turned over or because it is so full it will not close. Which type of binder and which pages are right is covered in the binder guide. Two rules are enough here: make sure the pockets load from the side, and never fill the binder so full that it strains.

Sort so you can find things

By game first, then by set. That is how you search when you actually search.
Dividers with set names in the card box.
Duplicates kept separate. They should be easy to pull out for trades.
Valuable cards in a box of their own, not scattered among the bulk.
Write down what you have if the collection grows large. A simple list goes further than memory.

The sorting tray

A sorting tray is a working tool for people who open many packs and sort the cards by set or number. Ultra Pro's Card Sorting Tray has 18 compartments in three rows of six. The compartments slope backwards, so the cards stand up and the front edge is visible. The tray is vacuum-formed and easy to lift with cards in it, and several trays can be stacked on top of each other in the middle of sorting. The sloping compartments mean it also works for displaying cards on a table, for example when you trade or sell cards at a fair.

The tray is not made for storing cards for a long time. Once the cards are sorted, they are moved to a case or box, and cards in toploaders can stand in a toploader box.

Things you should not do

Rubber bands around a stack.
Tape on sleeves, holders or boxes.
Plastic bags without a rigid holder for long-term storage.
Storage in a garage, basement or attic.
Stacking boxes high so the bottom ones carry the weight.
Keeping cards in the original packaging from a tin, which is often unpainted metal.

Sealed boxes

An unopened box is a product in itself, and the condition of the cardboard is part of the value. Upright, dark, cool and dry applies, and an acrylic case protects both against sunlight and against someone accidentally handling it. A plastic protective case – a box protector – protects the corners and edges of the cardboard against knocks and scratches and is the lighter alternative to acrylic. The plastic on a display yellows in light just like cards do.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a dehumidifier? No, a normally heated home is enough.
Can I keep cards on the bookshelf? Yes, as long as it is not in direct sunlight.
How often should I go through the collection? Check on it about once a year, especially if anything stands near a window or the front door.
Is the original tin good storage? No, the metal can scratch and the lid rarely closes tightly.
Does it matter whether the cards stand or lie flat? Yes. Upright is always better.

Three levels of storage

Bulk	Cardboard box with dividers. No sleeves needed.
Keepers	Penny sleeve in a storage box, or a binder with side-loading pages.
Valuables	Penny sleeve, toploader or magnetic holder, dark and cool.