Just trying to take a bit of a survey here, I suppose. I try to keep my cards organized and one of those ways has been with my hard cases, like top-loaders. When I began collecting, way back when, I set the standard as being anything with a $2 Beckett value went in a top-loader. Of course, this was back when there weren't a whole lot of cards at that point, so $2 was kind of a big value point. Nowadays, though, you get 2 such cards in every Topps base pack, and more in your higher-end products. Also, Beckett's subscription prices are RIDICULOUS for their on-line price guide, and I just can't afford to keep up to date with it.
My question is, for those of you who keep certain singles in top loaders or other hard cases, what is the standard you use to determine what goes in? Value? Player collections? Cards you just like? It's nice to use Beckett just to have a ballpark on what a card is worth, but I don't like having to use it to, in a way, organize my collection. Maybe I'm in too deep to it already. Let me know what you think.
I don't even use top loaders for my PCs. I have them in monster boxes unsleeved. Eventually I'd like to move them into pages so I can better enjoy my collections. But for now it doesn't cost me as much and takes up less space not having to deal w/ the bulky top loaders.
ReplyDeleteWhat's a top loader? I keep all my cards in a shoebox under my bed held together with rubber bands!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, when I was younger I made the top-loader distinction based on whether it was a base card or insert (all the inserts went in top loaders). I would also put the higher value cards (say, over $20, which back in the 90s was still fairly rare) in even-more rigid holders.
These days, if it's an insert set I'm putting together it ends up in a binder, so I don't bother with top loaders. The cards in the sampler collection will most likely all end up in top loaders for ease of use. I wouldn't expect a top-loader being needed on any regular insert cards. Penny-sleeve those suckers and save a little dough. Save the top-loaders for autographs, relics, and really rare inserts. Ask yourself how much you would be willing to pay to replace the card if it had a dinged corner, and if it's less than say $5, use a sleeve. Or maybe less than $2. Beckett values are great but they don't mean too much to me anymore since most inserts can be had cheap.
I only put jerseys, valuable autos, numbered PC players, and valuable rookies (Strasburg, Harper, etc.).Also, if cards are already in a toploader I usually just leave them in there.
ReplyDelete