Storage and Organization

I received a couple of emails over the weekend about how I store my collection. Everyone does it differently. Beardy prefers Tupperware. There is no right or wrong way to do it. It also depends on the type of collection you have. A player collector does things different to a set collector. I will cover that in another post. For now, I will show you how the set collector in me does it.

Binders. Lots of 'em. Each binder holds around 600 cards. So each will have 1 - 3 sets in them depending on size. Blue for hockey, Red for Football, Green for baseball. The larger binders at the bottom hold the larger sets. I really need a fourth colour though. That middle shelf is for non-sports.
Each binder has a small number on it. That # will correspond with a checklist that my wife made using excel. She exports the master checklist from Topps/Upper Deck etc... cleans it up, and adds it to the master list. The front page is a complete list of what's in each binder at a glance. Click on the individual set tabs, and it will show you what cards I am missing for a particular set at the top, with the complete checklist further down. As I acquire cards, I check the little box, and it disappears from the top.
That bottom shelf drives my wife nuts... so I can see more coloured binders in my future. Now, as you may expect, financial constraints limit what set can go in pages and what can't. For example, my '88 and '89 Donruss sets, and my '86 Topps set are in boxes. So are my '91 Fleer and Upper Deck sets. You get the idea. To the left of the shelves, you can see a closet. That's what holds my sets in boxes, as well as a lot of my monster boxes for player collections, etc...

On the other shelf, I have supplies and wax.

It's good to have for a rainy day. Always have supplies on hand. Pages, top loaders, sleeves, etc... If you don't, cards will tend to pile up around your desk or computer while you wait to get supplies. Don't tell me they don't. I'm looking at you.

Anyways, the better you store your collection, the better you can catalog it. That way you will be able to find a certain card/set easier.

If only my player collection was this organized....... to be continued....