If you’re reading this, then it likely means you value your cards and know that the condition of your cards matters. And if you know that, then you know protecting Pokémon cards is incredibly important to the collectability, value, and resale of them. If you don’t, then I have another article explaining why here.
The short version though is that Pokémon cards can be quite valuable. And the way to make them as valuable as possible is keeping them clean, unscratched, and protected. A card in perfect condition and graded as such can sell for up to and more than 100x more than the same raw card in okay or poor condition. And no, that is not an exaggeration.
In knowing this, figuring out how to best protect your Pokémon cards is likely in your best interest. There are most definitely wrong ways to do it, but there are quite a few good ways to go about it. We will cover all of those and more in the article below.
Let’s get to it!
Protecting Pokémon Cards: The Penny Sleeve
In talking about card protection, your first line of defense in almost every situation should be a penny sleeve. A penny sleeve is a light plastic casing that you can put a card in to prevent scratching and card wear.
There are a lot of brands out there and most are pretty cheap (hence “penny” sleeve). My personal favorite is Ultra Pro Sleeves but a lot of people also use Titanshield Sleeves. Dragon Shield sleeves are another great option if you like to still have your cards out and play with them as they have a matte finish rather than a clear one all the way around.
While this isn’t the only thing you should be using to protect a card, this is the first line of defense and will be used in almost every following selection after this point. If you don’t have any of these, I highly recommend you go and pick some up.
Protecting Pokémon Cards: The Top Loader
The Top Loader is a great line of defense when it comes to protecting your Pokémon cards. The top loader is a rigid plastic case that protects your cards from scratching, bending, dings, and all other forms of card wear and damage. This is going to be one of your best options when storing and shipping cards as well, which I cover in another article called How to Best Ship Your Pokémon Cards.
Notice that the card above is in a penny sleeve then put inside the top loader. The penny sleeve is the first line of defense, and the top loader covers that for additional protection.
Let’s do a run-through of the benefits and downfalls of a top loader.
Benefits of a Top Loader
- Hard Case makes it incredibly difficult to hurt or damage a card
- Clear Case means you can see the card from every angle while it’s being protected
- Easy to transport, ship, and move without needing an entire binder
Downfalls of a Toploader
- The harder case means it can be harder to keep a card safe while putting it in and taking it out of the case
To elaborate on the downfall, the most picky of collectors will avoid top loaders for this reason. Some of the cases aren’t particularly large and it can feel like your card is being scratched or damaged because it’s being forced into the case.
It’s important that while looking for top loaders, you pick a good brand that is built well. My personal favorite once again is Ultra Pro.
Their top loaders are closed enough at the mouth that the card won’t fall out, but are also loose enough that you don’t feel like you have to force the card in at all. That being said, the card still remains secure within (while also of course being in a penny sleeve).
Now that we’ve covered Top Loaders, let’s get to our next section!
Protecting Pokémon Cards: The Card Saver (Semi-Rigid Case)
The Card Saver is a brand of protective case but it’s also the gold standard for this type of casing. The card saver is semi-rigid so it can be bent and folded more easily than the top loader. Notice that the card is once again in a penny sleeve first within the case.
Despite that though, it is still firm enough that your card will be protected from scratching and other knicks. It is also a preferred method of protection for serious collectors. Let’s run through the benefits and downfalls.
Benefits of Card Savers
- Offers greater protection than just a penny sleeve from dings, scratches, and otherwise
- Its semi-rigid nature makes it far easier to put in and pull out cards than a top loader. This also means less concern scratching your cards when using properly
- It is the recommended case to use when sending in cards for grading
Downfall of Card Savers
- Since it’s semi-rigid, it’s typically not enough protection by itself when shipping or transporting
The top loader and card saver (with a penny sleeve) are two excellent ways to protect your cards. Depending on your goals though, there are a few others that may suit you better.
Let’s take a look into those now.
Protecting Pokémon Cards: Pokémon Card Binders
We’ve all had them and we’ve all seen them before. A binder is without a doubt one of the best ways to protect your Pokémon cards.
That being said, not all binders are created equally. If your goal is to protect your Pokémon card collection, then there are certainly good and not so good binders for that purpose. If your goal is to get something for your child that can store a lot, then you might be looking for something else entirely.
Let’s cover a few of the common binders that you will run into.
Protecting Pokémon Cards with a 3 Ring Binder
I’m definitely dating myself here, but if you had one of these bad boys *ahem*, back in the day, then you collected like most other kids. With a good old (but not that old, right?) 3 ring binder.
Kids weren’t thinking about protecting cards back in those times. We were just thinking of having a cool binder to be able to show off and trade what we had.
And while the nostalgia from these kinds of binders is palpable, they are unfortunately not the best way to protect your Pokémon cards at this point. There are far better binders out there than these for that purpose.
Let’s cover the two reasons why they aren’t great for protection first.
The Rings
The rings are the main reason that most Pokémon card binders aren’t made with large rings anymore. When flipping pages, your cards can get dinged from the rings themselves. If you have a binder like this with large rings and old cards, I would consider switching it out or at least being VERY careful turning pages from this point, especially if your cards are valuable.
The Sleeves
The sleeves that come with 3 ring binders are the other main issue regarding their protection of cards. They are not large enough to keep a normal penny sleeve on so the card gets put directly against a pretty rough plastic surface over and over again. Over time and even during transport, this can mean wear and damage to your cards.
Despite those two issues, these binders have two functions that most others can’t keep up with. Let’s do a quick recap on those below.
Benefits of a 3 Ring Binder
- Can allow for far more storage than most other binders
- Can be a cheaper option overall
Downfall of 3 Ring Binders
- Rings can damage the cards when turning pages
- The sleeves can scratch the cards when adding and removing the cards
- The pockets don’t leave room for a penny sleeve unless it’s a perfect fit
- Cards can fall out easily from the pockets
Ultimately the benefit of a 3 ring binder can appeal to parents who’s kids have a ton of cards and wants a binder for all of them. As far as collecting and preserving though, there are definitely better options.
Knowing that those are some of the things to watch out for, let’s check out another type of binder.
9 Pocket Pokémon Binder
The 9 Pocket Pokémon Binder is a great binder for any collector. They come in all kinds of designs and has more modern features than the 3 ring that keep your cards secure and protected.
These particular binders do bend a bit, so they aren’t the most protective binder out there, but they can still hold a large number of cards and protect the cards effectively.
Let’s look at some of the overall benefits of this type of binder
Benefits of a 9 Pocket Pokémon Binder
- Pockets are large enough to hold a sleeved card inside each pocket to allow for extra protection
- Pocket openings are on the left and right, which keeps cards more secure and keeps them from falling out.
- This type of binder has all sorts of designs for you to choose from
Downfalls of a 9 Pocket Pokémon Binder
- Most of these binders aren’t rigid on the outside, so the entire binder and your cards inside of it could still get bent
This is a solid binder for almost every collector. Outside of the fact that it doesn’t have a super firm exterior, it’s capacity and protection are both great and will certainly satisfy most collectors.
Let’s jump into the last binder example now!
Vault X Binder
The 9 Pocket Vault X Binder is a favorite among serious card collectors (myself included). They make a number of variations including an even larger 12 Pocket, 480 card binder, a smaller 4 Pocket variation, and have several colors to choose from.
What makes this card binder so popular is that it offers the ultimate protection for your cards in every way. The pockets are soft and make it easy to slide cards (in penny sleeves) in and out. The outside is rigid and won’t get bent or punctured accidentally. Then there is a sturdy zipper around the outside to keep it all secure.
They make quite a few other types but the 3 linked above are definitely the most highly purchased and appreciated. Let’s recap the benefits and one downfall of this binder.
Benefits of a Vault X Binder
- Side loaded and soft pockets make handling cards easy and safe
- A sturdy exterior means that the binder and your cards won’t get bent in transit
- A firm zipper around the outside holds it all together effectively
- They come in multiple sizes to get you what you are looking for
Downfall of a Vault X Binder
- The sturdiness and build makes this larger than most other binders
Outside of the size of the binder (especially the 12 pocket one) this is an incredibly good purchase for protecting your cards.
Let’s look at one final way to protect your Pokémon cards.
Protecting Pokémon Cards: Pokémon Card Grading
In my opinion, grading a Pokémon card is the best way to protect your most valuable Pokémon cards. If you have a rare and valuable card, then grading might be the way to go. If you want to dive into grading further, check out my other article, Should I Get My Pokémon Cards Graded.
Grading a Pokémon card refers to the process of sending your card into a company to ultimately assign a “grade” to the card. They then put your card in a permanent hard case to display and send it back to you. If you go this route, my recommendation is to stick with either CGC, PSA, or BGS (Beckett) as they are the most trusted Pokémon card graders and will add more value than all others.
The permanent hard case is ultimately why I think this is the best way to protect your cards. Even if you drop them, scratch them up, or otherwise, your card will still remain protected and worst case, you send it back in to get a new slab put on.
Even with some great benefits though, there are some downfalls. Let’s look through those now.
Benefits of Pokémon Card Grading
- Your card is kept in a permanent case for ultimate protection
- The graded cases display well and stack nicely on top of each other for easy storage
- Grading can add and hold value better than a raw card (especially if the grade is high)
Downfalls of Pokémon Card Grading
- Grading is relatively expensive (think $15-25 per card minimum)
- Despite stacking well, they will still take up more space than other methods
Summary
There you have the best ways to protect your Pokémon cards.
Want to avoid Pokémon card scams? Check out my article here!
Want to know the best ways to store your cards properly? Look no further.
If I missed anything or if you have any comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected]!