Do you prefer Boxes or albums for storage?

[Hawaiian BamBam]

Do you prefer Boxes or albums for storage of your cards? are there any pros or cons in your opinion to either storing cards in albums or boxes?

I personally like boxes such as 5,000 count boxes and 3,200 count boxes, but i think albums save alot more space.
thanks

 

[tim815]

Boxes. I work in a stock room, and some of the boxes are the bomb.

 

[mintman2]

Albums for lower dollar stuff, especially sets, but definitely soft sleeve and top load in boxes for key cards and higher dollar cards. Also, agree with David K on downsizing. Personal and more difficult stuff goes last.

 

[Rhubarb_Runner]

It really depends on what/how you collect. Albums all the way for me (although big ticket goes under plastic). When I look at my cards, they are readily available, and I don't have to handle them at all.

http://mmmrhubarb.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/organizational-behavior/

 

[mrmopar]

From a financial standpoint, boxes make the most sense if you have a larger collection. A 5K box runs about $5. Placing 5000 cards into 9 pocket pages would take 556 pages, assuming you didn't double up on the pockets!!! Even if you did, that is still 278 pages. I think a box of 100 pages run about $15-20, so you are talking about $100+ per 5000 cards stored.

I'd love to have everything in albums, but that would cost me a fortune. My other problem is I am always moving things around. Binders are best for sets and such, where items are in a set order that never changes. You can leave an opening for missing cards in sheets, but if you have cards sorted differently, you may need to move them around if you add or subtract.

I prefer 5K boxes for bulk and super shoes for toploader and sleeved cards. I then use shoeboxes for the oddball and small boxed sets and such.

 

[Hawaiian BamBam]

thanks guys for your responses, i appreciate them.

Curt, i also would love to have everything in albums, because one they are better organized for me and two, i could flip though my cards easier and can see 9 cards at once! but what is your opinion/advice on long term storage with albums? im always concerned that if i put my cards in albums(such as my autographs0 then 10-15 years from now all the pages would be stuck together or the card would be stuck to the pages! your thoughts please.

 

[mrmopar]

Hard to say. I know the older sheets had issues, but I understand that they have gotten tons better and focus on a more archival storage approach than before. I have some older sheets, and they are probably just from the 80s, that are very brittle and I have seen regular cards sticking in them. Just imagine UV coating and signatures!!

I'm sure it will take another 15-20 years to see how todays sheets are for cards. I know that you want to keep the moisture to an absolute zero regardless. That will kill the cards faster than any slight long term paper eating plastic acid might.

 

[Hawaiian BamBam]

thanks Curt for your thoughts on this. I was thinking maybe putting an autograph in a penny sleeve then in a 9 pocket page, that way it wont stick to the pages. id love to get all my PCs in 3-4 albums. makes it so much easier to view my cards and also organizes them by album.but im also thinking about maybe getting a 5,000 count box and put in my top 5,000 cards for my pc, pretty much whatever fits in there stays in my PC and whatever doesn't gets traded or sold! that would be a quick way for me to downsize my collection for sure and maybe make some extra cash.

 

[mrveggieman]

I prefer my cards in album so I can view them with ease. However I have thousands of cards and I don't have albums for all of them. I am working on it though.

 

[Dilferules]

In a perfect world I'd prefer albums because they are fun to flip through and see all your favorite cards. But the reality is that they are more expensive, take up more space, it's a huge hassle to move anything around if you want to add a card to the middle of a binder, and a page is wrecked forever if you put in a thick card.

I keep a lot of my low-numbered, autos, and GU that book below $20-25 or so in binders by player and they look very nice. Cheaper cards go in boxes and more expensive ones in toploaders or one-touches. The thing tat albums are best for is nice sets...I have my half-completed 1988 Topps autographed set in a binder with empty spots for cards I haven't acquired yet. Oh and I've never had any issues with autographs sticking to a page, as long as it's not super hot and humid you should be fine.
Richard

 

[Rhubarb_Runner]

Ultra-Pro pages are "inert" and cards with autos will not stick to them...unless maybe if you are in a very humid location. A little bit of humidity will especially get cards like the early Finest to stick a bit, but even then, they should unstick without damage.

 

[Dilferules]

A little bit of humidity will especially get cards like the early Finest to stick a bit, but even then, they should unstick without damage.

1994 Finest and 1999 Bowman Chrome are especially bad at "sticking", they will also stick to penny sleeves. It doesn't even have to be very humid. 1999 Bowman Chrome will even stick to BGS holders because they have a page-like plastic inside instead of just the hard plastic like PSA. I'm debating cracking my BGS 9 Mark Mulder Gold Refractor RC since it'd probably look nicer without the sticky film in a one-touch.

Richard

 

[Beachbum]

Sets = boxes
Player collections = binders

(I don't have as much stuff as most of you so it is easier)

 

[slavlite]

I have switched to all boxes, I still have all the past sets I built in Binders, but I would love to get rid of not only the sets but the binders and pages as well.

I keep all my player collections in Penny Sleeve>top loader> boxes. Being that my player collections are the only things I still work on it works out great for me.

If anyone is interested in Binders/pages LMK, Shipping is the big pain in the butt on them though...

 

[David K.]

I prefer the 3000 count boxes! Best regards, David

 

[brewerfan34]

It really depends on what/how you collect. Albums all the way for me (although big ticket goes under plastic). When I look at my cards, they are readily available, and I don't have to handle them at all.

http://mmmrhubarb.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/organizational-behavior/

The labels on the spines are sweet! Do you use a template on the web or did you design them yourself?

 

[u2me57]

I like boxes and albums for my cards even though albums have really gotten expensive over the years. I use 800 counts boxes for each team, my Phillies, and Jim Thome collection. The 30 team boxes have mostly Topps doubles and cards from those other brands.

I only use the albums for team collections with Topps cards only, from the past 40-45 years. I try to put mostly semi-stars and stars in them but there's still quite a few commons. It's fun to flip through them and see how each team has changed over the years.

Who sells 3000 or 5000 count boxes? No cards shops any where near here.

Gary

 

[OnDeck]

Albums can and will damage your corners on most cards. I use all boxes, with sleeves. Another problem is storing of the boxes which can take up much space in your house.

 

[Hawaiian BamBam]

Albums can and will damage your corners on most cards. I use all boxes, with sleeves. Another problem is storing of the boxes which can take up much space in your house.

very interested in knowing how the albums can damage the corners of cards, before i invest in albums and pages..please let me know, thanks

 

[mintman2]

Who sells 3000 or 5000 count boxes? No cards shops any where near here.

Gary

There's a guy here on the bench that sells supplies, Collin? something I think. I'd post a thread titled something like "Looking For Monster Boxes" and I bet he finds you. If you'll take used boxes I'd bet there's plenty of people here that would trade or sell you some.


Or, on ebay........
3000 http://www.ebay.com/sch/Sports-Mem-Cards-Fan-Shop-/64482/i.html?_sac=1&_from=R40&_nkw=3000+box

5000 http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw..._odkw=3000+box&_sac=1&_osacat=64482&_from=R40