There’s nothing people in the hobby are more particular about than how they store their cards! Supplies to protect cards has become a huge industry—which means you and I get more options.
Card storage boxes are the staple of housing a major part of a collector’s collection. Let’s talk about storage boxes and the best ones out there for protecting and storing your cards.
Best Boxes for Bulk Card Storage
1. 3,200 Count Monster Storage Box
When you see pictures of someone’s collection, or a massive haul of cards in a storage unit, you’re probably seeing piles and piles of these boxes!
These boxes aren’t wide enough to hold toploaders, but you can have raw cards or cards in a penny sleeve. I always keep one giant box of commons so that I can use them to protect other cards when shipping. If I have too many commons for one of these boxes, then it’s time to thin the herd.
Then, I have a box for basketball, football, and baseball for cards I keep in a penny sleeve, but aren’t worth a toploader:
- No-Name or Ultra-Common Rookies – I keep all rookies for at least a few years. These days, I’m even shifting towards putting all base rookies (minus the ultra-hyped prospects) into penny sleeves.
- Low-Level Inserts of Superstars – High-end inserts get a toploader. Non-superstars are usually in my commons box.
- Base Cards of All-Time Greats – Base cards of LeBron James, Mike Trout, and Patrick Mahomes are always kept in my sport-specific boxes with a penny sleeve.
=> Buy 3,200 Monster Storage Boxes on Amazon
2. Super Shoe Toploader Storage Box
These changed my life.
I used to keep toploaders in a box or in stacks on my desk because they didn’t fit in the monster storage boxes.
Then I found these. They’re just like the monster storage boxes but with slightly wider rows so you can fit your toploaders in. Genius!
One of these boxes can hold about 675 toploaders, and I keep one for each sport I collect. Keeping them safe and sorting through them is a breeze. Can’t recommend highly enough.
=> Buy Super Shoe Toploader Storage Boxes on Amazon
3. 500-Count Storage Boxes
These look nicer than the big storage boxes because they have the nice tucked-in lids. Plus, they don’t get as beat up because they’re not holding 10 pounds of cards in them!
These are terrific for:
- Shipping – If you’re shipping in bulk, these will hold enough cards to send a complete set. If you don’t fill the whole box, cut a piece of a foam noodle or styrofoam to fill the rest of the space.
- Storing Sets – I have a couple of these that stay in a shelf in a closet. I keep cards from my childhood in here that I think could be valuable one day. These are the boxes I use for “set-and-forget” cards.
- Active Card Collecting – The 3,200 count boxes are too unwieldy, so I keep a few of these 500-count ones on top of my desk. I have one for cards I have listed on eBay. I have another one for players that I want to keep an eye on, such as players I think will break out soon. For example, a month or so before the NFL season starts, I’ll pull out players (usually quarterbacks) in position to see a price increase.
=> Buy 500-Count Storage Boxes on Amazon
4. Magnetic Storage Boxes
These are for people who want to up their card storage game. They’re a bit pricier (but really not bad), but they certainly come with the “wow” factor!
These look much better than the cardboard boxes (duh), and the magnetic lid is incredibly satisfying.
These fit raw cards, toploaders, magnetic card holders, and even graded cards. Plus, they likely won’t break down like my cardboard ones do.
If you’re not a fan of these ones, you can find unmarked ones on Amazon, as well as bulk boxes!
=> Buy Magnetic Storage Boxes on Amazon
Best Boxes for Graded Card Storage
1. 105-Count Graded Card Storage Briefcase
Imagine showing up to a card show with one of these babies! I can’t image trying to travel with all my graded cards without having a setup like this.
With a hard exterior and soft foam inside, your cards are well-protected. Plus, they’re not going to move around, and you can carry them with ease with the handle.
This box holds up to 105 graded cards, perfect for someone setting up for a show or you want to bring cards to trade.
=> Buy 105-Count Graded Card Storage Briefcase on Amazon
2. Graded Card Shoe Storage Box
Just like the cardboard boxes above, they do have taller ones that will fit your graded cards!
You’re not wowing anyone with presentation, but they’re cheap, can hold 100 cards, and will match the other storage boxes you likely already have at home.
They’re a perfect solution to keeping your graded cards organized and unscratched.
=> Buy Graded Card Shoe Storage Box
3. 30-Count Graded Card Holders
Looking to hold smaller sets of graded cards? These smaller boxes have the flip-and-tuck lids and hold 30 graded cards.
These are more convenient than the massive storage boxes, and much better for sitting on top of a desk or even shipping out a bunch of these.
Also, these work well for any sets of graded cards that you have, such as collecting a player’s rainbow.
=> Buy 30-Count Graded Card Storage Boxes
What Not to Use for Storage
1. Off-Brand
I’ve been bitten in the past by purchasing products that aren’t one of the major names in the industry! I once bought 50 toploaders because they were cheap, and the top of each one was completely sealed shut.
BCW is the most well-known for card storage, and I will pretty much only go to another brand if the reviews are good or I know someone who uses them.
2. Binders
If you’re concerned about card condition, stay away. The weight of the rings, flipping pages, and putting cards in and out of these all cause harm over time.
There’s a reason when I got back into collecting that I had a dozen gradable cards out of 6,000. The junk wax era didn’t help with values, either.
3. Random Containers
When I was a kid, I kept all my favorite toploaders in a small plastic container. They just kind of bounced around in there, but that’s what I would take with me to friends’ houses for trading.
The cards stayed in good shape, but the toploaders got scratched so badly I could barely see the cards anymore!