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How do you protect your collection?

Ledgetheorc

Pokemon Researcher
32
Posts
10
Years
I'm looking to start collecting again, and I'm looking from a collectors standpoint than a player this time around, how do you guys protect your sets / Foils? If you can, link what you use/have as far as cool binders, or general rules for protection. Some say the 9 slot pages should be good enough, though I'm not sure. Opinions?
 

Renpuu

Gengar !
343
Posts
16
Years
It all depends on how much you wish to spend and how vast your collection wishes to be.
Monster Binders and Ultra Pro with side pockets are the best to ensure that your collection stays inside and won't fall out if you binder is accidentally turned upside down (which can happen.)

You can use cheaper 9 pocket style binders such as Max Protection and the cheaper Ultra Pro binders/albums. Personally I use monster binders for my collection just because they are durable and prevent cards from just falling out accidentally when going to events.
They are a good size and they can hold a vast amount of cards.
 
22,952
Posts
19
Years
I use the cheaper 9-card slot pages with the toploading, and with some of my holofoils, I put them inside a thin, clear cardsleeve for extra edge protection to reduce damage done to the edges of the cards.

I also do have a few side-loader binders, but not many of them.

I also use longboxes for overflow cards that I have more than four copies of.
 

Ledgetheorc

Pokemon Researcher
32
Posts
10
Years
Yeah, back in the day, I almost the full series of Duel Masters and had the epic failure of 30% of my cards falling out from just happening to be on top. I suppose that is my biggest fear is them falling out, I don't plan to carry them around or anything, I'm just wanting to age-protect them. I've got a ton of old base - Neo cards in a giant storage box, but a lot of them are frayed and generally weak / falling apart to the touch, don't want that to happen with round two. I was thinking of using the clear card sleeve, then the 9 slot binders, just didn't know what brand would be the best. Money isn't a problem.

Also, anyone know of the exact size of oversized card? I've already got the one from the Mewtwo box, though most sites list their other pages by H x W, not sure the exact measurements of the oversized, the Mewtwo looks a little bigger than I remember back from the Neo and Reverse Shiny Remake set, but maybe not.
 
282
Posts
13
Years
I just bought a Ultra-Pro side loader binder and no cards have fallen out. The one I have alternates from left > right, right > left.

When I have turned the pages nothing has fallen out :)
 
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Demon.

Dovie'andi se tovya sagain
270
Posts
12
Years
  • Seen Jun 20, 2018
Ive started putting all of my ultra rares in sleeves, then putting them into a card box, and then into the box i got with the plasma storm elite trainer kit. Full arts and other cards i deem rare or cool enough go in sleeves and top loaders, then into that box.

I need some monster binders though.
 

Ledgetheorc

Pokemon Researcher
32
Posts
10
Years
Definitely looking to show off the collection and be able to look at. While I'd use toploaders for storage of duplicate foils, definitely not for the main collection. it seems strange they'd alternate sides, though i guess that could be a theif deterent. How do the monster binders load?
 
22,952
Posts
19
Years
They alternate sides for loading to make it less likely the cards will fall out of the pages, really.

I have had mixed results with the side-loading pages. You want ones of top-grade quality otherwise they're more likely to fall out of the side-loading pages than top-loading pages.
 
544
Posts
14
Years
  • Age 35
  • Seen Sep 10, 2015
Side-loading binders are generally better than top-loading, but if you plan on travelling around with the binder it is still possible for them to slip out a bit. If it's your rarest cards that you just plan on keeping at home, then yeah, they'll probably never fall out of a side-loading binder. It usually doesn't matter what brand you go with, as long as they're standard size and the cards lay flat. The only thing I suggest is to place cards that you don't keep in binders out of direct light. Pokemon cards generally suffer from curling, edges being nicked, and fading, so a binder is always ideal for storage.
 

Ledgetheorc

Pokemon Researcher
32
Posts
10
Years
Yeah, this is simply going to be a personal collection, like that creepy old guy every card shop has with every card imaginable, wondering why he collects cards for a childrens game... hah! But minus the card shop (until a play! center opens up around here of course). Just going to be my own collection to admire mostly.
 

Necrum

I AM THE REAL SONIC
5,090
Posts
11
Years
I use top loading pages. I have never had my cards fall out before. I prefer Pro 9s, but when I was in New Orleans, it was damn near impossible to get a hold of any card pages. I eventually tracked down a shop that had off brand pages, and they seem to work just as good.
 

Demon.

Dovie'andi se tovya sagain
270
Posts
12
Years
  • Seen Jun 20, 2018
I use top loading pages. I have never had my cards fall out before. I prefer Pro 9s, but when I was in New Orleans, it was damn near impossible to get a hold of any card pages. I eventually tracked down a shop that had off brand pages, and they seem to work just as good.

Do you mean the pages that actually hold top loaders? I just saw those yesterday, along with the top loader binder. Seems like a really sweet binder, great way to protect cards, but i dont have 40 dollars to spend on it.
 

Necrum

I AM THE REAL SONIC
5,090
Posts
11
Years
Do you mean the pages that actually hold top loaders? I just saw those yesterday, along with the top loader binder. Seems like a really sweet binder, great way to protect cards, but i dont have 40 dollars to spend on it.
I mean pages that have openings on top. Standard binder pages. Been using them since I was a kid.
 

Ledgetheorc

Pokemon Researcher
32
Posts
10
Years
i got the preloaded ultra pro side loading binders (i love them because there was not the metal binder clip thing. they were 20$ a piece, they had had black felt behind the sleeves, im pretty impressed and each one holds 425 cards, easily two sets if not more. i've fallen in love with them.
 
13,373
Posts
14
Years
  • Age 29
  • Seen Jan 28, 2019
Has anyone used Monster Binders before?

Also, when buying the 'Ultra Pro Premium PRO-BINDER Padded Leatherette Sideloading 9-Pocket Album', which of the Ultra Pro card sleeves would you put them in first? I'd just like to make sure they are thoroughly protected and all. Especially looking for a black or white card sleeve, but I'm not sure which product to buy.
 
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Ledgetheorc

Pokemon Researcher
32
Posts
10
Years
The Ultrapro binder page quality is fantastic, I didnt even use sleeves thanks to how well the cards seated and how tightly the pages clasped the cards, there's enough friction to keep them still thanks to the black matted backing. easily worth the money paid for them. I bought three binders and have all my sets up to Neo put in.
 
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