Card Organization Debate

[Scobes]

Hey Everyone -

The question today is about card organization. I have been collecting RCs from all 4 sports for the past few years. I currently have each sport separated into its own monster box. Then they are organized chronologically, then alphabetically, then numerically (i.e. 1987 Donruss, 1987 Fleer, 1987 Topps, etc.) But there has been a lingering question to myself of whether I should organize by player last name instead (i.e. Arenado, Bonds, Clemens, etc.) The pros would be that I can easily see all the RCs I have of a particular player. I can even use dividers to demarcate the different players. The cons would be that for some players I have a ton of RCs while for others I may only have 1-2 and that imbalance is somewhat off-putting for me. Plus I would not be able to see all the RCs from one set together. I dunno. I can see both sides of the coin. And, yes, I know it's ultimately my decision, but I want to see how other people approach this topic and how you would organize a similar collection. Are there any pros or cons that I am missing?

So, in sum, Rookie Cards - organize by player or organize by year? Let me know your thoughts!

Thanks!

Scobes

 

[hociman]

scobes
There is a mix bag of options to consider. Here are my thoughts for organizing:
1. If you collect RC's - Orgnanize in alphabetical order with dividers
2. If you collect base, minor, etc.- Organize by year, mfg, and card #
3. If you separate the stars in #2 - Organize by alpabetical order with dividers

PS I have about 300 dividers w/names if anyone needs them. Thx Jim

 

[Chavezforprez]

My PC organization:

I order my rookies in alphabetical order, then chronological order by set. I team bag each card for added protection and printout the card info and slide it into the team bag. I only collect HOF and Star Rookies, so I don't have a big collection as someone who may hold onto all rookie cards. I do the same for my Auto's, GU'd, and graded cards. I don't use tabs or dividers. I mainly organize and label my cards this way in case anything ever happened to me. This way my wife and daughters know what I have and are left with a more educated idea of what is here so they can sell them if needed.

See pics below.

 

[Scobes]

Hi Jim -

So far it looks like people like organizing their Rookies alphabetically!

Scobes

 

[ILLRIMESAYA]

Hi there, alphabetically would be the route I’d take. It would be enjoyable to flip through my 35 Arenado RCs etc. have a good one!

 

[TC84]

Personally, I go alphabetically in my main Cowboys PC and main Football PC. Like ILLRIMESAYA said, it's nice pulling a handful of the same player and looking at their cards. My Gold box is organized by year, then by set... so '93 I have Action Packed (numbered in order), then Collector's Edge, Pacific, Skybox, Topps, then Wild Card. Trying to put together the "team sets" of the Gold cards it's helpful when you can just flip through and see who you have/don't have. But then there's the Low-End Cowboys box... it's done by year, then each player's cards together in no particular order. So for 1995 I have about 50 cards of Aikman, Irvin, and Emmitt each together then the "other guys". My Low-End Football box (low-end star players) is done by team and none of the cards are in any kind of order.
So... that doesn't help... lol I use different organizational "techniques" for what fits the particular type of cards in each box. With your Rookies I think I would go by Year then Set (numbered in order). Each year separated by a divider. I wouldn't bother with a divider designating set... it might get too cluttered and take up space.
To me, organizing is one of my favorite parts of collecting.... you can look at all the cards, even the ones you don't usually look at, and with my OCD it's a big satisfaction knowing they're all in order sitting nicely.
And now my pitch... I've suggested this to @SymphonicMetal that you can hire me to come in and organize all your cards. You pay for food and my services... I can just sleep in my car! I'm available whenever!! lol

 

[SymphonicMetal]

Organization? What is this organization that you speak of? This is an English speaking forum so stop posting in foreign tounges! Habla Ingles ese'!

This topic made me realize I "organize" the 4 major sports in 4 different ways and outside of vintage baseball there is no rhyme or reason for this. Generally speaking since I am a set builder and a want list filler I organize my cards by year. The only genre of cards that are in alphabetical order are bigger vintage baseball stars from the oldest to 1980. These were organized this way dating back to the late 80s/early 90s when my brother and I would set up at Cooperstown on Induction weekend. People would come up and ask for particular players and since they were in alphabetical order from Aaron to Yount we could guide them right to the players they were looking for. One particular retired HOF player was in such demand that we would get wiped out of his cards within a few hour every single year. My brother and I would be confused as to why this particular player was in most demand until we FINALLY figured it out. For those keeping score at home.....and I know you are.....who this player was will be revealed at the end of this post.

Generally speaking, I organize my cards chronologically and if it books for $10 or more. If the card books for $10 or more, I put them all together by year be it a rrookie card or not. If i am looking for a Tony Dorsett RC, I'll go to the box where 1978 football are stored and it will be with all the 1978s that are $10 or more. Non RCs of guys like Staubach, Paytoin and the like are stored with rcs like Dorsett, Stallworth, Dean etc. Old basketball and hockey cards are stored in a similar manner. When it comes to newer (1981 to present) I organize them in many different ways which is too hard to explain as I would confuse myself trying to explain. LMAO!!!!

The answer to by far the most in demand player's card in Cooperstown was not Mantle or Mays but Sandy Koufax. It finally dawned on us that there was a ton of Jewish visitors in Cooperstown for induction weekend so it made perfect sense Koufax was in such demand. As a Polish-American I get that as guys like Musial, Yaz and Rob Van Dam certainly hold more of a meaning for me. Not as much as the Polish women's national track team does however. HOLY MOLEY with a bunch of those women!!

Now I'm done. LOL

 

[K.C._Royals!]

I organize by team... EVERYTHING goes in a sleeve and then a top-loader. Then they go in three-row shoeboxes are organized by year/set/number.

Here are all my Kansas City Royals with all my Charlotte Hornets in the bottom four boxes on the main self on photo #1.
I have all my Carolina Hurricanes in the first two boxes of the top row of Photo #2 with my Nashville Predators in the box on the left.
All my Carolina Panthers are on the second shelf in photo #2.

(I keep all my Ryan Klesko and Dale Murphy PC in multiple three-ring binders and all my traders organized in rows elsewhere in my room)

 

[who765]

Alphabetically works best for me.

 

[Scobes]

It sounds like alphabetical for the Rookies is what most people do. I'll have to see what I'll do. Thanks for the input!

Scobes

 

[TC84]

You ever see the movie High Fidelity? It has John Cusak and Jack Black in it... typical Cusak rom-com. But Cusak's character has this huge record collection he is reorganizing throughout the movie. I thought maybe you could organize your Rookies how he organizes his records - Autobiographical...

***WARNING - EXPLICIT CONTENT***

 

[Scobes]

You ever see the movie High Fidelity? It has John Cusak and Jack Black in it... typical Cusak rom-com. But Cusak's character has this huge record collection he is reorganizing throughout the movie. I thought maybe you could organize your Rookies how he organizes his records - Autobiographical...

***WARNING - EXPLICIT CONTENT***

@TC84

Hi TC -

I love that movie! I wouldn't even know how to begin to organize my cards autobiographically! haha! The only thing like that that I remember is the first card that I remember owning. That would be a 1986 Topps Jerry Don Gleaton given to me by one of the neighbor kids.

Scobes

 

[TC84]

@TC84

Hi TC -

I love that movie! I wouldn't even know how to begin to organize my cards autobiographically! haha! The only thing like that that I remember is the first card that I remember owning. That would be a 1986 Topps Jerry Don Gleaton given to me by one of the neighbor kids.

Scobes

View attachment 112606

Great movie! I'm usually tapping out halfway through a Cusak movie, but this one was fun. That store he owned would be doing great nowadays cuz all the hipsters want vinyl...
So the way I see it is that Gleaton would be the first card in your Rookies box.

 

[shig]

You ever see the movie High Fidelity? It has John Cusak and Jack Black in it... typical Cusak rom-com. But Cusak's character has this huge record collection he is reorganizing throughout the movie. I thought maybe you could organize your Rookies how he organizes his records - Autobiographical...

***WARNING - EXPLICIT CONTENT***

Every damn time someone starts needing out over card organization my mind goes straight to this!!!!

 

[TC84]

Every damn time someone starts needing out over card organization my mind goes straight to this!!!!

GREAT MOVIE!!! Tim Robbins as the hippie guru bf... Cusak's character daydreams the 3 of them whoop his arse in the store... then the little guy brings in the window unit and smashes him with it. I love his description of him by Cusak's character... "he wears rings... on his fingers..."
DYK that was really Jack Black singing at the end of the movie?

 

[shig]

Haha Tim Robbins and his patchouli stank. I kinda figured it was Jack singing. I'd been a Tenacious D fan for a couple years at this point and knew he had some pipes.

 

[TC84]

Haha Tim Robbins and his patchouli stank. I kinda figured it was Jack singing. I'd been a Tenacious D fan for a couple years at this point and knew he had some pipes.

Ya he does it all.. I hate those kinds of people! YOU'RE MAKING US LOOK BAD!!!!

 

[TC84]

Sorry, @Scobes .... didn't mean to bogard your thread like this!!