A lot of people know the best ways to protect their Pokémon cards. A lot aren’t aware though of the best ways of storing Pokémon cards and the damage that can be done if they aren’t stored properly.
Fortunately, it’s not tremendously difficult to do and shouldn’t be too costly. Unfortunately, there are definitely some precautions that should be taken if you’re trying to keep them in good shape (which is generally a good idea).
Whether you are getting into Pokémon Card Investing or just looking to keep some nostalgia tucked away in your home, you are in the right place.
We will cover a little bit about protecting your Pokémon cards, but will get to the main considerations and the big no-no’s when storing them.
Let’s get to it!
Protecting Your Pokémon Cards
I have an entire article on protecting your Pokémon cards, but it is worth recapping briefly before jumping in.
Effective storage can only take place when your cards are initially secure from bending, scratching, or other damage. There are a few main items you can use to accomplish this.
Top Loaders, Card Savers, Grading, and Binders
We will keep this first storing section pretty simple. Every single method mentioned above to protect your Pokémon cards will also be a useful way to initially store your cards.
Binders
Binders on their own are probably the best way to store cards. They keep the cards packed nicely together and leave minimal concern for bending or otherwise. It will also keep a lot of cards held together in a small area so that you don’t take up too much space.
Some binders don’t store as well as others though so be sure to do your research before grabbing the first one you find.
If you have the option, I would still recommend the Vault X Binder as the # 1 go-to for card storage.
Graded Slabs
Slabs are one of the best protective measures to keep your cards safe. If you don’t know about grading then you can check out my other article to learn about it!
If you already have graded cards, then you are already in a good spot as they stack easily and can be put away without additional packaging needs!
Top Loaders and Card Savers
Top Loaders and Card Savers (with a penny sleeve) are an excellent way to protect cards. Both will protect from scratching and can be stored easily while staying protected.
You will want to have a nicely fitting box for storage but other than that, your cards should be protected!
Worst Ways to Store Pokémon Cards
Properly protecting your Pokémon cards with one of the above methods is a MAJOR plus. If you are at least holding them in one of the above ways, you are most of the way there to storing your cards properly.
As you may be able to imagine though, there are still some major ways to do damage to them over time. Yes, that is even with the proper protection methods in place.
Let’s cover a few.
With a Rubber Band
As you may be able to imagine, rubber bands are a terrible way to store Pokémon cards. Without any other protection is very bad for them. Even with penny sleeves or card savers though, rubber bands can still warp and damage cards over time.
It pained me to even get a picture of Pokémon cards with a rubber band around them. If you’re looking for household items to store Pokémon cards, don’t use rubber bands.
If you’re looking to not buy anything, saran wrap can hold a nice stack together without doing much damage to them. A sandwich bag can work as well.
None of these are preferred over the methods mentioned above though. And if you have reasonably valuable cards? Please. Just get some penny sleeves and a binder.
Scattered in a Box
While arguably not as bad as a rubber band, unprotected Pokémon cards thrown into a non-fitted box is another poor way to store cards. The main issue is that the cards can scatter, bang against each other, and ultimately just get damaged.
Even bulk Pokémon cards are worth trying to keep in decent condition. No, they won’t be worth as much as rare and holo cards, even if they’re nice.
Buyers though are always looking for pristine cards though so any dings or damage can reduce the quality and general value of the cards over time.
Fortunately, there are boxes that work well. If you have a box from an Elite Trainer Box (ETB), those can actually work incredibly well when storing. They keep the cards in a tight spot and don’t let them shuffle or move around much at all.
Any other nicely fitted box that keeps the cards from shuffling around can work. Big loose boxes though? Stay away.
In the Sun
Keeping Pokémon cards stored in the sunlight is almost a surefire way to damage them. Don’t believe me? Check out this Blaine’s Moltres that was left in the sun by a Redditor.
Sunlight not only dries out the card but it also quickly fades the color from them. And although it might make the card look interesting, it ultimately just damages them.
So if you have a display case or otherwise to show off your collection, make sure the sunlight doesn’t get to them.
Humidity is Incredibly Important
While temperature is important when storing Pokémon cards, humidity is the bigger culprit in damaging them.
If you have or have seen holographic cards that look like a pringle, then it’s almost certain that humidity caused it.
It happens because the holographic parts inside cards don’t handle moisture well. That additional moisture causes the paper part of the card to expand, while the holographic part stays the same size.
Now, storing your cards in a good binder will nullify most if not all of this issue. Depending on your location though, there are other protective measures you can take.
Ever wonder why almost everything new that you open has silica gel packets in it? Because they are incredibly good at regulating moisture. And moisture damages just about everything over long periods of time.
So depending on where you store you Pokémon cards, having some silica gel packets inside or close by can be incredibly useful in preventing this issue.
Best Ways to Store Pokémon Cards
We’ve covered a few things to do when storing Pokémon cards. We’ve also covered some big no-no’s as well.
Let’s recap then some of the best ways to store your Pokémon cards.
Protect Them Well
Whether it be top loaders, grading, or binders, basic protection methods will massively help you safely and effectively store your Pokémon cards. Any of these three can fend off harm to your cards in both the short and long term.
Go buy some of the above items and you won’t be sorry.
In a Temperature and Humidity Controlled Environment
As mentioned and shown above, direct sunlight is very harmful to Pokémon cards. A humid environment on top of that can cause some serious damage to your Pokémon cards over time.
When storing for a long period of time, temperature and humidity regulation is definitely your friend. If you’re worried about humidity, just grab a few silica gel packs to help it out.
Summary
Sound pretty simple? It ultimately is. But when Pokémon cards released, not many people expected them to blow up in value the way they have.
So if you have any and plan on keeping them for a while, why not take care of them and store them properly?
Thanks for reading!
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