How to Safely Store Your Baseball Cards and Collection

One of the most overlooked aspects of the hobby is how to safely store a baseball card collection. While our opinion is not a one-size-fits-all, it is based upon decades of collecting and witnessing the successes and the failures of collectors through the thousands of collections we have purchased.Get more news about toploader holder production,you can vist our website!

One of the worst things that we see, aside from cards that are just tossed in bags and boxes, are valuable cards that have been entombed in thick, Lucite screw down holders.

Why is this so bad?

Over time, the changes in humidity and the pressure under which the screw down was sealed impress upon the Lucite so that the card surface adheres to the Lucite and when the holder is opened, the card's surface tears away from the cardboard stock, rendering the card far less valuable than had it been stored more safely.

If the card surface isn't torn, it is not uncommon for the torque to press the card's corners and flatten the stock. This creates a "glaze" or shininess from the flattening and may prompt a third-party grader to reject the card as exhibiting evidence of being "altered."

When a collector contacts Just Collect and has high value cards in these screw downs, we ask that the card(s) be removed before shipping or before providing images for a preliminary evaluation.

A majority of the products that are mentioned in this blog are produced and/or distributed by Cardboard Gold, BCW Diversified and Ultra Pro and can be purchased directly from reliable sellers on the Internet and on eBay.
These thin, clear polypropylene sleeves should be acid free and archival safe for storage of cards. They are referred to as "Penny Sleeves," because they used to be sold in bags of 100 for $1.00 (a penny per sleeve), although they are now a bit more expensive Offered in varying sizes, they are great for secondary protection when using several of the other items listed below. We have also seen them used as protection for cards that will be housed in shoe boxes, monster boxes or set boxes.

Penny sleeves are available in a variety of sizes fitting standard sized cards as well as over-sized and undersized cards. Not all penny sleeves are created equal, so shop around and make sure that the ones that you purchase are archival safe.

Many collectors have expressed concern about damaging cards while attempting to slip them into the sleeves. A simple trick is to take a pair of scissors and clip off a corner of the top of the sleeve. This allows the sleeve to open a bit easier and provides an angle for the collector to more safely insert the card.
Top loaders have been around for quite some time and when used with penny sleeves, may provide some of the best protection at an affordable price.

These are very popular and come in a wide variety of sizes and thicknesses. With the much thicker patch and relic cards that are currently being produced and issued in some of the higher end products (ranging from 20 to 360 points of thickness), the wider opening top loaders provide the easiest and best protection. The most secure way to utilize a top loader is with a penny sleeve -- assuming that you are able to have one that meets the thickness requirements of the card. The penny sleeve limits the amount of impact of the card against the top loader.

When using a thicker top loader for some of the thicker cards that are currently available, many people will put a piece of tape over the top. We do not recommend this practice as the adhesive of the tape may transfer to the edge of the card. Instead, we would suggest sealing the top loader inside of a self-adhesive team bag.