Bulk Card Storage
General forum
Posted on May 27, 2014, 11:35 a.m. by JakeHarlow
This might go in the economics forum, but it's a pretty general topic. My question is, how do you guys organize your bulk commons/uncommons (non-foil)? My collection has grown to between 3500-5000 examples of such cards, and my single Holiday Gift box is really only adequate for holding my Theros-block collection.
What methods and products do you guys use to store bulk cards that aren't particularly valuable and also not in decks? How do you organize them? How do you ensure that they are stored in such a way that their good condition is maintained?
I'm looking at one of those big BCW corrugated cardboard storage containers. They make foam pads to keep your cards upright and secure, as well as nice divider sleeves.
I'm interested to hear what works for people on T/O, especially for those who have been in the game for a while.
ducttapedeckbox says... #3
I have a box like gufymike mentioned. I have it organized by set, and then by color, and some are even organized in alphabetical order beyond that (by the numbering on the bottom of the card). If an old common/uncommon spikes in price or something, or if you need it for a deck, it's really easy to find. It'll take you an afternoon or weekend, but it's definitely worth the time.
If you're interested in reading a little about this (I was), there's this nicely written Channel Fireball article that gets into the steps. It mostly states the obvious, but it was an interesting read and ensures you don't get lost in organization.
May 27, 2014 12:14 p.m.
Servo_Token says... #4
I open up a lot of booster boxes, and usually just keep the bulk from that box in that box. Those boxes stack fairly well, and are already organized by set and rarity.
Aside from that, I have 1 5k count box which is damn near full, so I need to be deciding if I should sell the bulk or buy a new box.
Typically I just sell off all of my rotating bulk to make room for the new stuff.
May 27, 2014 12:30 p.m.
KnightsBattlecry001 says... #5
I have a crap load of the deckbuilder toolkits and fatpack boxes. I put all my bulk in those. Have them sorted by color and by set. Makes it easier if I need something out of them for whatever reason.
May 27, 2014 12:55 p.m.
I use boxes, as explained above. Small cardboard boxes - each one is sorted by colour, and by creature or non creature. So, for example, I have a black box for creatures, and a black box for non creatures. I also have them sorted by guild as well - so orzhov, golgari etc.
That gives 15 colour combinations in total (10 guilds + 5 colours) and then each one has a creature box and a non creature one.
I also separate by block as well. Theros block has one lot. Ravnica has one. Avacyn has one.
May 27, 2014 12:58 p.m.
Why, may I ask, do you find keeping 5000 commons necessary?
May 27, 2014 12:58 p.m.
It's quite nice to have them. Particularly for cubing or edh etc.
May 27, 2014 12:59 p.m.
That's what I don't get. You aren't going to be using, for example, Pillarfield Ox in anything, ever. Go through your cards, sort out the crap from the stuff you think you might use, then try to offload it as bulk to a store or just donate it to some kids or a school club.
May 27, 2014 1:02 p.m.
ryuzaki32667 says... #10
I stop at a playset of each card, for the reason of never know , may want to make a bad deck on purpose
May 27, 2014 1:07 p.m.
MindAblaze says... #11
I found it useful to have lots of crappy common creatures to teach my kids how to play. They're getting to an age where they can understand the more complex abilities, but for the basic structure, turn sequence etc turning a Pillarfield Ox sideways (or keeping it back to block) is very functional.
May 27, 2014 1:18 p.m.
We use them for cubes, edh, donating to the local library for drafts that go off there. I also am considering using them to make 60 card decks to hand out at fnm for people who want to play and/or learn and then repacks for draft and sealed practice.
Having a ton of commons/uncommons around is very useful... and if you like pants, we can make pants also!
May 27, 2014 1:27 p.m.
JakeHarlow you can always store them in boxes. Otherwise, if you dont want them, you can sell them! In my LGS they accept commons-uncommons for good price. Do a little search on that. Its really profit!
May 27, 2014 2:29 p.m.
JakeHarlow says... #17
Sounds very promising. Thanks for the responses! Like I said, I just ordered one of those corrugated boxes along with dividers and foam pads. Hopefully that should be sufficient. It's a 3200-count, so I assume that it, along with a Holiday Gift Box (which holds about 2,000 cards) will hold my bulk.
This is my template for organization, from broadest division to smallest:
Set, Color, Card Type (creature, artifact, enchantment, instant, sorcery), Collector Number (alphabetical)
Cards with guild marks get their own subdivisions, ordered according to the set they appeared in, then by the color wheel. So:
RTR Guilds: Azorius, Selesnya, Izzet, Rakdos, Golgari
GTC Guilds: Orzhov, Boros, Dimir, Simic, Gruul
My planeswalkers are high-value, so they won't even figure into these common and uncommon bulk sortings.
Does anybody else do it this way?
May 27, 2014 5:02 p.m.
ducttapedeckbox says... #18
All organizational methods slightly vary. As long as it works for you, I'd go for it! One thing I forgot to mention is that I keep my standard commons/uncommons in a separate box from the rest of my bulk. This way I can easily transport it without lugging my entire collection.
My parents had these boxes that you put wine in when you give it as a gift. I've never seen my parents look at them (or give wine as a gift...), so I took two of them and made one into storage for standard C/U cards, and the other became my overly complicated deck box. I added a platform in the bottom connect to strings so that when you open the box, it raises the bottom to easily remove decks. Not sure if anyone even knows what I'm talking about, but the ones I have perfectly fit cards on their sides.
May 27, 2014 5:16 p.m.
JakeHarlow says... #19
I'm having some trouble picturing it, but it sounds awesome!
May 27, 2014 5:55 p.m.
i currently use a fat pack per set, then by collectors number, which automatically groups them by colour
May 28, 2014 4:11 p.m.
guerillarage says... #21
I use the aforementioned 5000 count 5-row boxes. My rare/uncommon box is sorted by color, then subsorted by rarity, creature, spell, enchantment. It's easy to find cards that way. I only keep things I may want to play eventually.
gufymike says... #2
I use 5 wides (5000 ct) to store my bulk stuff, which I separate into standard and everything else, then by color. One row per color. Multi color, artifacts and land get 1000ct boxes or fat packs. This does me fine. 1 5wide for standard, 2 for everything else.
example 5 wide
May 27, 2014 12:05 p.m.