I highly suggest a cube box by Aaron Cain because you can customize it to your liking. I just got mine yesterday and I finally replaced the BCW white cardboard boxes I've been using. The only problem with his service is that there is a long waiting period. I believe he waits until he accumulates enough orders for one type of box before starting construction. That said, I placed an order early April and only got it yesterday.
Can you please post some pictures, and give a rough estimate of how much it costs?
I've attached some pictures of my new box. I ordered it in late June and just received it today. The box has room for 540 double sleeved cards and includes divided sections for lands, tokens and dice. It ran me about $430 because of the exotic wood species I chose (purpleheart). A domestic wood would've saved me about $130.
For sleeves I use Dragon Shield Mattes with Ultimate Guard resealable Perfect Fits. KMC can't be trusted anymore, so I feel like the DG Matte is the best option for the outer sleeve.
I've had bad experiences with their more recent sleeves. Just a couple of weeks ago I had a Hyper Mat split on me when shuffling, ruining a Kaya I just pulled in a draft. Also did some stretch test comparisons between KMC Premium Mattes and DG sleeves, and the results were pretty damning for KMC. This is all anecdotal, of course. Maybe I got a few bad batches of KMC sleeves. Still, I've been pretty paranoid about sleeve durability lately, and I just don't want to risk my cards with seemingly inferior sleeves.
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From the mind of Raymond Swanland: Valla, a plane made entirely out of brownish spikes.
Cherry wood, it's available in summer oak, cherry, and dark walnut.
And it's stained? Not sealed?
I like the box but I probably wouldn't put cards bareback in it. Not saying you did (except for those Pokemon cards). The Etsy link shows a bunch bare cards in the box.
I like it though. I'm kind of sick of the four row paper boxes. I've been thinking of upgrading.
I like the box but I probably wouldn't put cards bareback in it. Not saying you did (except for those Pokemon cards). The Etsy link shows a bunch bare cards in the box.
They're not Pokemon cards, they're Energy Counters for his new Kaladesh expansion.
Seriously, though... nice box, Steve! Looks good!
Cherry wood, it's available in summer oak, cherry, and dark walnut.
And it's stained? Not sealed?
I like the box but I probably wouldn't put cards bareback in it. Not saying you did (except for those Pokemon cards). The Etsy link shows a bunch bare cards in the box.
I like it though. I'm kind of sick of the four row paper boxes. I've been thinking of upgrading.
Yeah it's a stain, it kind of feels like a satin finish: smooth but can still feel the grain of the wood.
Those Pokemon energy cards are actually sticking out of a sleeve, they're just dividers for my basic land.
I've been currently using the Large Piratelabs case. It's huge, but holding playmats and a binder all in one is fantastic for me. Holds my 555 + Basic lands + dice and 4 legacy decks in magnetic boxes. The shoulder strap is also a huge plus, especially since I bring my cube many places, and even things like GP's. If I didn't have to tote it around, I'd certainly get a nice wood box or something.
My cube is still about 35% proxy and a lot of my cards aren't exactly mint condition. I don't double sleeve on purpose because I don't want to start freaking out about the condition of every single card. If I ever sell out of magic, I'll be fine taking a hit on some cards due to condition because A.) it was worth not stressing over it and B.) I probably would've spent more money re-buying cards to have everything be NM as possible.
Cherry wood, it's available in summer oak, cherry, and dark walnut.
And it's stained? Not sealed?
I like the box but I probably wouldn't put cards bareback in it. Not saying you did (except for those Pokemon cards). The Etsy link shows a bunch bare cards in the box.
I like it though. I'm kind of sick of the four row paper boxes. I've been thinking of upgrading.
Yeah it's a stain, it kind of feels like a satin finish: smooth but can still feel the grain of the wood.
Those Pokemon energy cards are actually sticking out of a sleeve, they're just dividers for my basic land.
I did some preliminary research because I harbored some reservations from what I could recollect. I, personally, would avoid this box the way it's made. Does look nice though.....
Dug around in some old notes I had and found that Oak is considered a poor choice for archival safe storage because of the high acid content. I'm not certain where Walnut or Cherry sit but all wood is acidic (trunks make terrible boxes for your keepsakes). I'm trying to locate the PH estimates but it's really late.
As far as I can tell. Stain is a poor choice since it does nothing to impede acid migration. Melamine is better (I hate the look myself) or a buffered paper (I used this stuff) or neutral plastic liner such as mylar.
In short, using sleeves when using any box is a requirement. I don't really like how the Etsy images show a row of cards barebacked in the box. But after a lot of thought, my beef is the portrayal of cards without sleeves in this type of box. Steve_Man is sleeving his cards as he should. I want a box that is slightly more durable and nicer looking than the paper ones everyone likes to use. Which might result in some cards staying unsleeved. Slightly different uses here. However, since one should sleeve cards of premium value anyways, I see it as a wash.
For comparison sakes, a quick check on a card supply site confirms what I expected, that the cardboard boxes sold at most LGS are not labeled archival safe either and are likely not.
Archival safe storage boxes are, from what I've seen, never brown, labeled as such, and certainly cost more than $2.50 a pop. Gaylord has examples of what I'm talking about.
I appreciate the heads up about the acidic properties of the box, I guess I should look into getting it lined? Or maybe I should just double sleeve, lol. I literally just resleeved my cube last night with matte dragon shields, took me a little under 4 hours by myself.
That Innistrad box is super sick. The only thing I can say negative is that it needs a handle for easy transportation. The detail is so nice, though. I love the claw marks.
My cube is sleeved with Ultra Pro Matte (I know). My main problem with them is that my cube has a lot of foils and you can't really see that they're foils unless you're in the right light. What sleeves would you recommend that are good and will show off my foils properly?
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I've attached some pictures of my new box. I ordered it in late June and just received it today. The box has room for 540 double sleeved cards and includes divided sections for lands, tokens and dice. It ran me about $430 because of the exotic wood species I chose (purpleheart). A domestic wood would've saved me about $130.
Highly recommended!
For sleeves I use Dragon Shield Mattes with Ultimate Guard resealable Perfect Fits. KMC can't be trusted anymore, so I feel like the DG Matte is the best option for the outer sleeve.
From the mind of Raymond Swanland: Valla, a plane made entirely out of brownish spikes.
CubeTutor: www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/72
Thread: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=512410
I've had bad experiences with their more recent sleeves. Just a couple of weeks ago I had a Hyper Mat split on me when shuffling, ruining a Kaya I just pulled in a draft. Also did some stretch test comparisons between KMC Premium Mattes and DG sleeves, and the results were pretty damning for KMC. This is all anecdotal, of course. Maybe I got a few bad batches of KMC sleeves. Still, I've been pretty paranoid about sleeve durability lately, and I just don't want to risk my cards with seemingly inferior sleeves.
From the mind of Raymond Swanland: Valla, a plane made entirely out of brownish spikes.
CubeTutor: www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/72
Thread: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=512410
Comfortably fits a sleeved 540 cube + basic land, dice, and 4 EDH decks.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
Hhmmm.... What wood is that?
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
And it's stained? Not sealed?
I like the box but I probably wouldn't put cards bareback in it. Not saying you did (except for those Pokemon cards). The Etsy link shows a bunch bare cards in the box.
I like it though. I'm kind of sick of the four row paper boxes. I've been thinking of upgrading.
They're not Pokemon cards, they're Energy Counters for his new Kaladesh expansion.
Seriously, though... nice box, Steve! Looks good!
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Yeah it's a stain, it kind of feels like a satin finish: smooth but can still feel the grain of the wood.
Those Pokemon energy cards are actually sticking out of a sleeve, they're just dividers for my basic land.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
I've been currently using the Large Piratelabs case. It's huge, but holding playmats and a binder all in one is fantastic for me. Holds my 555 + Basic lands + dice and 4 legacy decks in magnetic boxes. The shoulder strap is also a huge plus, especially since I bring my cube many places, and even things like GP's. If I didn't have to tote it around, I'd certainly get a nice wood box or something.
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No love for double sleeves? It's less than $3 a pack on amazon, and it makes a 40 card deck feel really nice to shuffle.
WGURBLands!WGURB
WGUInfectWGU
Legacy Lands Primer
Top 8 SCG Oakland 2014
Helpdesk
My Cube on CubeTutor
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
I did some preliminary research because I harbored some reservations from what I could recollect. I, personally, would avoid this box the way it's made. Does look nice though.....
Dug around in some old notes I had and found that Oak is considered a poor choice for archival safe storage because of the high acid content. I'm not certain where Walnut or Cherry sit but all wood is acidic (trunks make terrible boxes for your keepsakes). I'm trying to locate the PH estimates but it's really late.
As far as I can tell. Stain is a poor choice since it does nothing to impede acid migration. Melamine is better (I hate the look myself) or a buffered paper (I used this stuff) or neutral plastic liner such as mylar.
In short, using sleeves when using any box is a requirement. I don't really like how the Etsy images show a row of cards barebacked in the box. But after a lot of thought, my beef is the portrayal of cards without sleeves in this type of box. Steve_Man is sleeving his cards as he should. I want a box that is slightly more durable and nicer looking than the paper ones everyone likes to use. Which might result in some cards staying unsleeved. Slightly different uses here. However, since one should sleeve cards of premium value anyways, I see it as a wash.
For comparison sakes, a quick check on a card supply site confirms what I expected, that the cardboard boxes sold at most LGS are not labeled archival safe either and are likely not.
Archival safe storage boxes are, from what I've seen, never brown, labeled as such, and certainly cost more than $2.50 a pop. Gaylord has examples of what I'm talking about.
Just a bit of info if anyone cares.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
Easily has room for a 560 card sleeved cube + land, tokens, boxes and spare sleeves. Interior is faux suede which is good too.
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Leather? Really? You don't have to rub, like Mink's oil (no apologies whatsoever to PETA) or something into it?
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That should be faux leather. link: http://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-pu-leather-a4-storage-box-brown/p1809226
Mr Barrin this Cube is on Fire!! - http://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/80149
WG Kei Takahashi: Is in Charge Now !? (EDH) WG
Oh.... that makes a lot more sense. That would explain the price point too now that i think about it.