I hope there isn’t a thread like this already, I tried searching for keywords such as “complete set” “complete set binder” etc. but didn’t find suitable threads or posts for my question.
Anyway, my question is: How do you guys store your complete sets?
My current goal is to finish all the Neo sets and I currently have from Neo Genesis to Neo Revelation in 1 Ultra Pro 9-pocket Pro Binder, and Neo Destiny in it’s own binder. At first I was thinking about buying a 12-pocket finder to fit all of the sets in but I would really love to have all of the sets in their own binders. My second idea was to purchase 4 Ultra Pro 4-pocket binders but I like the 9-pocket binders way better. I don’t like toploaded pages nor 3-ring binders in general so that’s not an option even with sideloaded pages. Any ideas?
I love 12-pocket binders, currently using Quadrow zipfolio from Ultimate Guard. I think the cards are protected a lot better than an ultra pro probinder, which feels a little flimsy… I think it would look epic to have all the neo sets in the same 12-pocket binder.
You are definitely right about that, would save space too. Other problem with the 4-pocket binders is that there aren’t any available with zippers which I don’t like either. Thank you for the quick response, will order the Ultimate Guard ZipFolio Xenoskin 12-Pocket Binder.
@orionwaves the ultra pro binders are a good way, especially for ungraded cards. I’m not sure if I understood correctly but are you trying to have the whole Neo Era in one binder? Cause I know it barely fits, you end up with all the shinings in the last page or the first page of a new binder. What I do is to try to fit other variances in order to fully complete one binder or two but that’s just me being OCD .
I love the quality of the Quadfolio and the Ultra Pro Premium binders but I couldn’t use them for sets. If they had removable pages I’d consider it but without that customization it doesn’t make sense for sets in my opinion. I also need to see the back of every card to make my life easier when checking conditions of my collection so the fabric backed pages don’t work for my goals.
For the Neo era sets I use Avery 1/2" D-Ring binders with Ultra Pro Premium pages. That way each set has their own binder. I store the full line of 1st edition and unlimited in each binder. Larger sets like Expedition through Skyridge I had to push to a 1" Avery D-Ring binder.
Sounds like that’s not the route you want to go but thought I’d share how I do it. Best of luck!
hi
i use ultra pro 9 pockets in a customizable binder with D rings, so i can create custom set artwork for front and back of the binder, after that i put them into a black binder casette.
D-rings scare me everytime i use them though lol.
good luck!
Thank you for all the replies! I will most likely go with small D-ring binder for each set after all, might even look into getting some custom art for each of the sets. As @scratchdesk pointed out seeing the back of the cards will be useful as well. Especially for me since most of the collection is currently somewhere between LP-EX and I’m definitely slowly upgrading the cards to NM.
Just be careful with storing cards long term in 3 ring binders (or D rings). I have seen several cards that are dented or damaged from being stored in them.
That was the main reason I was asking for alternative storing methods. I just wish there was some way to store cards properly with the ability to see both front and back of the card without the risk of them being damaged. I am going to have to think this through before making a decision but for now I’m sticking with the Ultra Pro binders since I already have them.
There was a thread for this discussion some time ago in which we discussed this issue. I’ve since found that certain o-ring binders under 1" (super thin) with ultra pro platinum pages can work well and drastically reduce the chance of causing binder ring impressions on the cards. The reason being is that the rings are small enough so as to inhibit the pages from overlapping over rings. The platinum pages are stronger as well which also helps to reduce the risk of page overlap. Ring binders over 1" I would Not recommend due to the risk.
The downside is that there isn’t very much storage room , so you would need to use one binder per set.
I personally use the ultra pro 9 pocket binders, with the holos in ultra pro deck protectors. They provide good storage, and look great, and come at a fair price. In the past I used those card guard binders with the 9 pocket ultra pro sleeves which worked fine. As long as you close the binders carefully, and the sleeves don’t rise above the D-ring in the binder, and they don’t get tossed around in any sort of fashion, they will not damage your cards. As a younger collector, they were extremely affordable and could hold a massive amount of cards compared to any other already constructed binder. However, the sleeves do get kinda gross looking over the years and they lose their clarity, so I decided to upgrade them to something that looks a bit more deserving. They might only be $20 each, but boy, they add up quick. In the picture I believe I have base set through skyridge in the binders, and I currently have base through secret wonders in the new binders. I still have a long way to go to fit the rest of the sets in them.
Before I started the movement, I did a rough calculation and found it would take 25-30 binders to fit every complete set into them. Once I’m caught up to the newest set, it will only be a new binder every 2-3 sets though so it won’t be nearly as bad.
I did consider the 12 pocket page binders, as they would have looked amazing to have all the holos on 1-2 pages and all the ultra rares at the back of the sets on just 1-2 pages, but price was definitely a factor for me for those. The zipper would also have been a nice addition, but these binders are almost never opened and sit in a dresser away from any sort of dust or sunlight, etc. So that wasn’t a concern for me.
The only complaint I might have is that the non holo cards don’t always look even in the binders. I’m not about to spend a ton on sleeves to have every card line up perfectly with each other, but from a close up view, some of the non holo cards that don’t have sleeves shift ever so slightly and you can tell sometimes. It doesn’t bother me too much though…
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Once I’m caught up to the newest set, it will only be a new binder every 2-3 sets though so it won’t be nearly as bad.