How to Keep Your Trading Card Collection Investment safe!

#2167 in DIY & Hobbies
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Protecting Your Investment In Cards!

Below are suggestions and products that I use to keep my sport card collection safe. Some of it comes from reading or other people telling me about there experiences. But in most cases it has come form my own experiences of trial and error. If you own something and it has a value then spend a few dollars and "Protect It" properly...

Common card size:
There is no firm standard that limit the size or shape of a sport cards. Most cards of today are 2-½ inches by 3-½ inches (6.35 cm by 8.89 cm) and in the shape of a rectangle You can also find cards from 1-½ by 2-½, postcard size all the way up to 8 by 10 (portrait size). Below you find some storage methods that I use to keep my card collection safe.

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Cardboard Storage Boxes 


Cardboard Box Card Holders

Card board boxes are a easy and cheap way to store your cards. They come in many sizes from holding a hundred cards to boxes that will hold 10,000 cards. I find them to be cheap but I think the for the long term you better off with the clear plastic case's you can see below. The boxes tend to cause cards to start to look dingy over time. I have even seen cards curling or warping, this is true if you look at older sets that have been in these boxes for years. I have a few vintage sets with such damage. Prices range anywhere from a $1.00 to about $10.00 for the largest of these cardboard card organizers and can be found at almost any card hobby shop.

The Best Storage Solution! 


Clear PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) Free Cases

These are clear acid free with no PVC cases and come in quite a few sizes. You can get them in sizes that hold 10, 50, 100, 150, 200 & 250 cards. This will also help you keep you sets organized. I use them exclusively for my vintage
complete sets These will help preserve you cards for a long time to come as the top of the case almost creates a seal which will keep you investment safe for decades. Also some of the new cases come with UV protection to aid in the old fade. Prices range anywhere from a $1.00 to about $7.00 for these clear plastic organizers.

Some News Stories On Hobbies 

Well hobbies in one from or another!

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The family knows how important gardening is to Johnson because it's been her lifelong hobby ? and her six children are gardeners, too. ...
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Hobby Lobby looking to expand store
By Doug Williamson (Contact) Hobby Lobby at 4654 S. 14th St. has taken out a building permit to expand into the space adjacent to it in the Woodhaven ...

Great Card Sets To Put in those new cases! 

Here are some great sets to put away for the future!

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USE PENNY SLEEVES!!! 

Penny Sleeves
All cards of any value should be placed in a penny sleeves. This will protect cards from finger prints and aid in the prevention of dinged corners. These Acid free/PCV free sleeves come in many sizes form your common card to postcards size as well as verying thicknesses. Prices range anywhere from a $1.00 for 100 sleeves to about $4.00 for 100 postcard size sleeves.

Top Loaders the Only Way to GO!

 

Top Loaders

Tops loaders are a very important part of keeping cards well protected. They come in many different sizes for all different type of thick cards. Mostly done on a scale of points (pt.) 35pt is your common base card. Most jerseys will fit nicely in a 55pt holder. There are even thicker holders for cards like patches which can be 100pt or even thicker. The above Steve Yzerman Jersey card is in a 55pt top loader.

A safe way to show off your investment! 


Screwdowns Cases

Screw downs are worth the price, the newer cases have an indented or recessed area for the card to sit in as so no plastic presses against the card also the corners are recessed or diamond cut so that no corner of card is in-touch with the case. Its hard to see in the example above with Sidney Crosbys Rookie Card. This gives you a great way of showing off some of your treasurers and at the same time keeping them safe. Prices range anywhere from a $1.00 to about $7.00. I do not use the solid type of plastic slab that seats the card right on the two surfaces. There have been horror stories of old cards being pulled apart from being in them for to long! I have seen cards even hard to get out of penny sleeves from being pressed together a little to long.

Great Rookie Cards 

What a great way to start collecting cards

Check out our store
where you will find all kinds of rookies from the past!

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NO Screw Magnetic Holders! 

What a Great idea this was...


Magnetic Holders

These are my favorite type of display card holders and I use them often. They come in the same format for size as toploaders. The card shown above is a 75pt holder. The nice thing about the magnetic holder is that they have all the features of the new screwdowns but no screws. There are two locating keys at one end that guide into two slots with a magnetic catch (far right, middle dot).

Displaying Your Treasures 

And keeping them there!


There are a few different ways to display your collection on say a shelf or in a bookcase.
First you can buy the same magnetic case mentioned above which already has an attached base (stand). These are great but for me I find a little to costly, average cost is around $6.00 In the picture below you see a stand which sells for around $3.00 for a package of five. What I do is rest the screw down case against the stand and take a small piece of packing tape and tape the stand to the screw down. If you do it neatly you wont even notice the tape. And think of all the cash $$$ you saved.

Now the reason I do this is simple "FRIENDS". My friends love to look at my card collection and when they go and grab it to have a look, well many time the cards on the shelf did the old domino effect thing! They all start to take a tumble to the ground (good thing there in secure cases) Well this little trick has stopped that from happening.

One more word of advice.
"DO NOT USE SUPER BONDING GLUE"

This will work great until you see the plastic case start to melt, never mind trying to get the card out later. (This was one of those trial and error things!)

Whats Your Favorite 

It only takes a second to click, SO CLICK ONE!

Hockey

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Baseball

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Football

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Soccer

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Golf

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My sport is not here?

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Grading of card collectibles... 

Today its a must, more and more so for vintage cards!

If you are looking to get your cards graded then the grading company will have a policy to follow for shipping of your cards. Below is requirements for PSA -
Card Saver I The recommended card protectors that PSA accepts. They measure 3 3/8" x 4 7/8" and are made for standard sized cards.

Card Saver IV The recommended card protector for oversized cards. They measure 4 ½" x 7 1/8".


Listed below are five companies that are considered most reliable:

(PSA)Professional Sports Authenticator
(BGS)Beckett Grading Services
(SGC)Sportscard Guaranty Corporation
(GAI)Global Authentication Inc.
(KSA)Canadaian Sports Authenticator

Each are a little different, but offer similar scales of grading and good protection of the cards
as well as accurate and consistent grading.

 

Great free games 4 ALL!



 

Other good reading and information! 

Well I hope you enjoyed this lens and found some of it intresting or maybe you even learned a thing or too about my hobby. If you have anything you'd like to ask or share just let me know. Please have a look at my other lens and online guides by clicking on links below.

Our Website, Northern Card Chiefs
A great hockey resource!!!

Squidoo Lenses

Great Mind and Eye Tricks! Cool Optical Illusions
Sport & Non Sport Collectibles, trading card Fun!
How to Keep Your Trading Card Collection Investment safe!
The New Age of Sports Card Collecting!
A Sulute to Hockeys Lord Stanley's Cup
The Art of Collecting Vintage Hockey Cards Sets
Convert your VHS tapes before its to late
The stars above with the Hubble telescope
Selling Sport Cards on eBay, Listing, Shipping to Packing
Who is Christopher Pike?
Add you hobby lens to our group

Ebay Guides
The eBay Feedback System and fairness for the Seller!
SellingSport Cards on eBay, Listing, Shipping, Packing

Visit our eBay store
We carry Cards of all sorts from Hockey too Baseball, Non Sports too Fantasy and other cool collectibles. Coins, Buttons, Books and more! Make sure to check out all of our Complete Sets of great non-sport and sport trading cards. And Look for those hard to find Inserts in our Inserts ONLY section and more...

If you would like to shop somewhere other then eBay then check out my store at eCarter the new alternative.

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I love feedback or any new ideas! 

PLEASE SHARE!!!

alp

Great info! Thanks!

Posted February 26, 2008

thomasz

Cool lens. Interesting info.

Posted February 13, 2008

Billco

Nice lense. Great information!

Posted February 12, 2008

Aika

lovely infos. I have some Upperdeck NBA cards and this is helpful for me. Thanks!

Posted November 11, 2007

EvieJewelry

5 star lens. saw you on squidu discussion boards. lots of great information. Check us out for great jewelry.

Posted November 10, 2007

 
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Mister_K

Mister_K

This is my second lens and I felt much needed. Its great to have a hobby. Something you can enjoy by youself, with friends, kids or family. Also can make for a great...

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