Mods sorry if this has been posted before. I was just wondering what you guys use to store all your cards in. I have thousands of cards just in binders. I 'm very OCD so I'm trying to find a storage (container or wooden shelf) that I can seperate cards from Colors,Type,Set etc. I'm thinking a table that has like 30 to 40 small drawers. Do they make something like that? Almost something that looks like a apartments mailboxes haha but small and can fit in a room. Again sorry if this has been posted before, if so point me in that direction
look for used card catalouges from old libraries. there have been a few examples on here of people converting those into card storage. ive been looking for one myself.
I use modular storage racks. They have 4 shelves which each fit 6 4-row boxes with room left over for binders or longboxes between them. I hope to eventually have permanent shelving installed however.
The library card catalogues look real nice but they aren't convenient if you have a changing collection. Sometimes I have to sort a few thousand cards into my existing collection and then I don't want to stand at the cabinet doing it or else be constantly taking the shelves in and out. It would be ideal for my complete sets except that I want them in binders where I can show them off.
It depends on the scope of your collection. If it is very large, I would recommend something modular with fixed shelves.
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The Collection:
Every English card ever printed: 99.02%
Arabian Nights through Lorwyn: Complete
Alpha: 94.2% Beta: 95.0%
Unlimited through M10: Complete
Mods sorry if this has been posted before. I was just wondering what you guys use to store all your cards in. I have thousands of cards just in binders. I 'm very OCD so I'm trying to find a storage (container or wooden shelf) that I can seperate cards from Colors,Type,Set etc. I'm thinking a table that has like 30 to 40 small drawers. Do they make something like that? Almost something that looks like a apartments mailboxes haha but small and can fit in a room. Again sorry if this has been posted before, if so point me in that direction
This makes me feel so old, since you described obsolete library card catalogs. Some people have converted them to card storage, but they are usually expensive and very heavy to move/ship, so you'd need to find one locally if you're not made of money. They also might require some work in removing metal rods that run the length of every drawer (rods went through holes in the library cards to keep them in place).
A much cheaper option would be a card box hotel, which fits a dozen of those white card storage boxes sold at most card/game shops. Google card box hotel to find stores that sell the hotels and boxes. If you want something nicer and are willing to spend more money then look for local woodworkers who could make a hotel to your specifications, or do it yourself.
I've seen some shoe storage units that look better than the card box hotels, but I've never measured one so I have no idea if the spaces are tall/long enough for card boxes, or maybe too big.
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"Right about now I am wondering if Fredy Montero needed a kidney, how many guys in Seattle would line up to oblige?"
-- David Falk, Seattle Soccer Examiner, March 2009
I can shed some light on the subject as I am one of those people that has a card catalog for storing my collection. Some of what Savage talks about is true. If your collection is truly in a constant state of flux at a decent to large volume, then the constant drawer-pulling can be tiresome. If you interact with it less frequently or have an intermediary option, then it becomes a lot more feasible. I have a custom box that I made from heavy cardstock and fatpack lid spacers that fills the gap between what I am working on currently and my long term storage in the card catalog. I interact with it much more than my catalog. Once the "restock" slot gets full, I sort the cards back into the card catalog. That cuts down on the frequent drawer pulling that direct interaction would produce.
With all that in mind, I strongly urge you to look at how often you get into your collection as it will be a large factor in determining what kind of storage method will work for you. If you interact with it all the time, the white cardboard boxes like andrade suggested might be a better fit. If you have slow turnover or use it mainly for long term storage and can stomach the cost, then maybe a card catalog can work. To me, it all boils down to how often you access your collection that is going to drive your choice.
If you go with some sort of shelving unit, do not use anything that contains particle board. To be an adequate storage option, the load on the shelves is going to be too much for average particle board to handle and it will sag fairly quickly. It doesn't need to be full on solid wood, but a decent plywood with good surface finish would work rather nicely with the white cardboard boxes.
I mainly have about 5 decks I use normally. The cards I want to put in the shelfs are mainly cards I would never use in a deck. I don't wanna just put them up in storage and never see them. I wanna have something I could show my kid, or my kids friends.
I keep my expensive cards in my binder and in a couple deck boxes to bring around and trade. The rest of my cards are sorted by set and collector's number. I have an empty booster box from each set, and the cards from that set are placed in the boxes and left on a book shelf. It's a simple storage system, but it works for me.
I'm thinking a Library card storage is what I'm looking for
Are you ok with spending $600-$700 on one? One in good condition will run you that much. They are desirable and becoming more rare, especially the nice hard wood ones. Bear that in mind and do a lot of research before committing. Just something to think about. One saving grace is that there are somewhat smaller ones that are a bit more affordable.
@topic: I use a binder for my rares, sorted by color. I have a smaller binder for my non-for-trade cards. My commons are sorted into two fat pack boxes; one for white, blue, black and one for red, green, everything else. Same for uncommons. I dump any junk commons or uncommons as they aren't worth the space.
I did feel very liberated after I donated a whole bunch of my not-as-good commons and uncommons to a newer player. He loved them, and I hated them.
The Container Store website has a few cases in the hobby section that may or may not be good for cards, but it really depends on the size of your collection.
If you need some tab dividers, I've have a simple template in pdf--prints 8 per page, onto card stock. You can write on both sides of the tab so they are flippable as needed. Email me if you want the file.
I'm storing my 10K cards in 4-row card boxes alphabetically by color. With this method I do need to know the name of the card I'm looking for.
I'm actually starting to write a front page article on how to build a storage box that can hold over 5000 cards for less than $10
Devil's Advocate: Why would I choose your solution over a 4 or 5 row white cardboard box purpose built for storing cards for ~half the cost?
I'm curious to see what you are proposing. It'll be interesting to see your article. Any idea when it will go up?
@MTGNooB52: I'm not surprised at all. Did you do any research into the smaller 30-or-less drawer models to find a cheaper solution? You might get lucky going that route instead of the full-blown stand up 60-drawer variety.
I was mainly asking because inevitably someone is going to ask that question and complain about the cost or something at the same time. I figured it would be better to just get it out of the way now, and hopefully be a lot more polite about it than they would. That said, I'm a sucker for custom storage solutions and look forward to what you've come up with.
I was mainly asking because inevitably someone is going to ask that question and complain about the cost or something at the same time. I figured it would be better to just get it out of the way now, and hopefully be a lot more polite about it than they would. That said, I'm a sucker for custom storage solutions and look forward to what you've come up with.
If someone doesn't want to use the solution, they don't have to. I'm not trying to sell anything. It's a solution I came up with that I use and enjoy and wanted to share with the community.
I use a footlocker (now two) to store my long term collection of playsets. They're 800ct long boxes that are $0.50 at my local shop, and they hold a fair bit more than that (I suspect they're rated for thicker baseball cards). It works well, but the closed footlocker weighs around 300lbs.
Bulk commons and uncommons generally get shared among friends or given to new players. Extra rares, mythics, and older but popular uncommon/common staples are stored in 4,000ct boxes in sleeves. I use these mostly for trading and EDH decks.
This is a reasonably inexpensive storage solution if you have a ton of cards, but I'd love to have a library card file eventually, maybe set aside in a nice, all-wood library/office? Smell of leather and pipe smoke, monocles, etc etc.
Depending on how portable it has to be and the amount, I'm a fan of the Stanley FatMax Deep Pro Organizer. You can pick one up at most hardware stores for $25, and it has a number removable containers- most of which will hold over 100 double sleeved cards, making it a a great choice for carrying around Commander Decks or a larger cube. (Mine is 750).
It's a great way to carry around a large amount of cards and have well organized and in only one box.
Beyond this, I think I'd want to keep about 3 trade binders.
1- Standard
2- Legacy, Modern and casual
3- Reserve list and high value stuff.
Big ol' landbox of basic lands- 1 five row. (It's so much easier to keep neat and organzied than a four row or any smaller one). It's always good to have one around just because you can go and grab a handful for drafting,etc.
I do need to figure out what I'd want to do with the rares, uncommons and commons that are worth a couple of dollars, though... I'm more than happy to just unburden myself of lots of the bulk because there are just so many websites and dealers that I can get access to that spending all that time with lots and lots of cards that I'll never use just doesn't make sense- it'd honestly make more sense to sell them as bulk, take that money and use it to buy tix and replace those cards with their digital counterparts... so much easier to search up, build a silly deck with and play in a casual room.
Gatherer actually was a big part of convincing me to debinder a lot of cards I had and sell them off- there were just lots of cards taking up a lot of space (3 shelves in a 6 foot long closet in the basement) and I rarely even went into them, unless it was to pull a specific card for a deck.
So much easier just to go look at cards on gatherer than keep a binder for looking at, and just go pick up a single if I really, really need it.
As I see it, though... the first and biggest step of figuring a storage solution for your collection is to figure out what you want to do with that collection- not only will it make whatever storage solution you decide on work better, it'll help you budget where your Magic dollars go better, and make that collection more impressive and more fun much more quickly.
I was mainly asking because inevitably someone is going to ask that question and complain about the cost or something at the same time. I figured it would be better to just get it out of the way now, and hopefully be a lot more polite about it than they would. That said, I'm a sucker for custom storage solutions and look forward to what you've come up with.
If someone with 5k+ Magic cards complains about spending $10 on card storage, they have a problem.
I would be interested to see your design. I love building projects, I will eventually create something to store/display my collection alongside my baseball cards, I just need to decide on a location first.
Best thing I have found so far are the Holiday boxes that contain 4 booster packs. Say's it can store 2,000 cards. Also comes with dividers and stickers
The library card catalogues look real nice but they aren't convenient if you have a changing collection. Sometimes I have to sort a few thousand cards into my existing collection and then I don't want to stand at the cabinet doing it or else be constantly taking the shelves in and out. It would be ideal for my complete sets except that I want them in binders where I can show them off.
It depends on the scope of your collection. If it is very large, I would recommend something modular with fixed shelves.
Every English card ever printed: 99.02%
Arabian Nights through Lorwyn: Complete
Alpha: 94.2% Beta: 95.0%
Unlimited through M10: Complete
This makes me feel so old, since you described obsolete library card catalogs. Some people have converted them to card storage, but they are usually expensive and very heavy to move/ship, so you'd need to find one locally if you're not made of money. They also might require some work in removing metal rods that run the length of every drawer (rods went through holes in the library cards to keep them in place).
A much cheaper option would be a card box hotel, which fits a dozen of those white card storage boxes sold at most card/game shops. Google card box hotel to find stores that sell the hotels and boxes. If you want something nicer and are willing to spend more money then look for local woodworkers who could make a hotel to your specifications, or do it yourself.
I've seen some shoe storage units that look better than the card box hotels, but I've never measured one so I have no idea if the spaces are tall/long enough for card boxes, or maybe too big.
-- David Falk, Seattle Soccer Examiner, March 2009
With all that in mind, I strongly urge you to look at how often you get into your collection as it will be a large factor in determining what kind of storage method will work for you. If you interact with it all the time, the white cardboard boxes like andrade suggested might be a better fit. If you have slow turnover or use it mainly for long term storage and can stomach the cost, then maybe a card catalog can work. To me, it all boils down to how often you access your collection that is going to drive your choice.
If you go with some sort of shelving unit, do not use anything that contains particle board. To be an adequate storage option, the load on the shelves is going to be too much for average particle board to handle and it will sag fairly quickly. It doesn't need to be full on solid wood, but a decent plywood with good surface finish would work rather nicely with the white cardboard boxes.
You can find me on MTGO. My username is gereffi.
Are you ok with spending $600-$700 on one? One in good condition will run you that much. They are desirable and becoming more rare, especially the nice hard wood ones. Bear that in mind and do a lot of research before committing. Just something to think about. One saving grace is that there are somewhat smaller ones that are a bit more affordable.
Are you really?
@topic: I use a binder for my rares, sorted by color. I have a smaller binder for my non-for-trade cards. My commons are sorted into two fat pack boxes; one for white, blue, black and one for red, green, everything else. Same for uncommons. I dump any junk commons or uncommons as they aren't worth the space.
I did feel very liberated after I donated a whole bunch of my not-as-good commons and uncommons to a newer player. He loved them, and I hated them.
GWUBRDraft my Old Border Nostalgia Cube! and/or The Little Pauper Cube That Could!RBUWG
Modern:WDeath & TaxesW | RUGRUG DelverRUG
I'm storing my 10K cards in 4-row card boxes alphabetically by color. With this method I do need to know the name of the card I'm looking for.
Devil's Advocate: Why would I choose your solution over a 4 or 5 row white cardboard box purpose built for storing cards for ~half the cost?
I'm curious to see what you are proposing. It'll be interesting to see your article. Any idea when it will go up?
@MTGNooB52: I'm not surprised at all. Did you do any research into the smaller 30-or-less drawer models to find a cheaper solution? You might get lucky going that route instead of the full-blown stand up 60-drawer variety.
Who's suggesting you do? If you like using your box, use your box.
If someone doesn't want to use the solution, they don't have to. I'm not trying to sell anything. It's a solution I came up with that I use and enjoy and wanted to share with the community.
:symr::symg: 99 Permanents, But... :symr::symg:
:symw::symg: Every Elephant :symg::symw: Support your local game stores!
Wasteland Gaming | Tower Games
It's a great way to carry around a large amount of cards and have well organized and in only one box.
Beyond this, I think I'd want to keep about 3 trade binders.
1- Standard
2- Legacy, Modern and casual
3- Reserve list and high value stuff.
Big ol' landbox of basic lands- 1 five row. (It's so much easier to keep neat and organzied than a four row or any smaller one). It's always good to have one around just because you can go and grab a handful for drafting,etc.
I do need to figure out what I'd want to do with the rares, uncommons and commons that are worth a couple of dollars, though... I'm more than happy to just unburden myself of lots of the bulk because there are just so many websites and dealers that I can get access to that spending all that time with lots and lots of cards that I'll never use just doesn't make sense- it'd honestly make more sense to sell them as bulk, take that money and use it to buy tix and replace those cards with their digital counterparts... so much easier to search up, build a silly deck with and play in a casual room.
Gatherer actually was a big part of convincing me to debinder a lot of cards I had and sell them off- there were just lots of cards taking up a lot of space (3 shelves in a 6 foot long closet in the basement) and I rarely even went into them, unless it was to pull a specific card for a deck.
So much easier just to go look at cards on gatherer than keep a binder for looking at, and just go pick up a single if I really, really need it.
As I see it, though... the first and biggest step of figuring a storage solution for your collection is to figure out what you want to do with that collection- not only will it make whatever storage solution you decide on work better, it'll help you budget where your Magic dollars go better, and make that collection more impressive and more fun much more quickly.
If someone with 5k+ Magic cards complains about spending $10 on card storage, they have a problem.
I would be interested to see your design. I love building projects, I will eventually create something to store/display my collection alongside my baseball cards, I just need to decide on a location first.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qqu-EJxdeHo/SFBALh55QUI/AAAAAAAAAPM/4L5fKx_czrg/s400/librarycardcatalog2.jpg
Nice little bookcase
http://d3f8w3yx9w99q2.cloudfront.net/1185/Monarch-Cappuccino-Hollow-Core-55in-High-Modern-Bookcase-I-2531-Bookcase/Monarch-Cappuccino-Hollow-Core-55in-High-Modern-Bookcase-I-2531-Bookcase_0_0.jpg
On the extreme end
http://cdn.furniturefashion.com/images/modern%20booshelf%20warp%20omc.png
http://www.homeideasdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Convenient-Modern-Bookcase-called-Equilibrium-for-Kids.jpg
For some Swedish crap, there's always Ikea
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=bookcase
BUWGRChilds PlayGRWUB
BUWGR Highlander GRWUB
UBSquee's Shapeshifting PetBU
BW Multiplayer Control WB
RG Changeling GR
UR Mana FlareRU
UMerfolkU
B MBMC B