General Forum

As my continuing return to the hobby deepens, I've been curious about which binders and sheets to get and where to buy them. I'd love recommendations. More information below, but feel free to recommend without reading on.

One of the first things I did when I went back into the old collection was pull cards in binders out. Many had been in binders for 30+ years without being touched. Some of the sheets were gooey or stuck together, Many still had a terrible chemical smell. A few cards were damaged in these sheets because none of them were sleeved. I don't want to put them back into these 30+ year-old sheets, so I'd like a recommendation on sheets. I think I saw that the standard is to sleeve everything before putting them in sheets now too, so knowing which sheets work best for that would be great. Note that I have plenty of 1950s cards in my PC, so I'd need the large-size sheets too.

Most of the binders I have are also old. They could use updating, so any recommendations there would be good too. I'd like to place most of my PC in these binders to be able to look at them. They'd be stored in a closet in a climate-controlled room. 

Thanks for your help!

Not sure what the best brand of binders is, but I do know that "D" ring binders work much better than the standard "O" type. As for sheets the best ones are Ultra Pro and the BCW brands. Both have a variety of pocket sizes/configurations to accomidate non-standard sizes and the Vintage larger than standard sized.

I'm in a similar boat with old binders and sheets. I haven't had any ancient sheets go "gooey" on me but I have had plenty that dried and cracked and/or yellowed. I still have many many old sheets to replace.Binders I have used a mishmash of styles and I too need to replace more than a few.

if you do a forum search you'll find a bunch of posts on this topic

D ring is a must

I agree with the Captain, D rings are the best for binders. Most of the binders I get come from work, once the obsolete paperwork inside gets shredded or recycled. Clean them up a little bit and there good to go.  

Ultra Pro 9-card sheets are good, but costly. For the past couple of years I have been buying mine from the Dollar Store (made in China) or Dollar Tree whatever they call themselves. Not as thick, or as clear as the Ultra-Pro's but they do the job. I don't know if they carry the oversized card holder sheets, but at your local card store or any card show  you should be able to find some without much searching.  

I get the D Ring Binders from Target. Avent, is the brand, I believe. they do they job and seem to be cheaper than  any "trading card" targeted brands.

For Sheets, I use Ultra Pro Platinum. These allow you enough room to use a penny sleeve in the sheets, if you prefer to do so. I have found that these look the best and are very durable 

I've often found used, good-condition, D ring binders at thrift stores.  Not uncommon to get a 3 inch + binders for $2.

I use binders from Amazon that zip up all the way around. They come with the card holder sheets. Most come with sheets to store cards back to back, which I don't do. I like the card backs. The binders run around $18-$24 each, but are excellent for protection from dust. They also sell better sheets separately. Oh, I almost forgot they sell binders you can put cards in toploaders. 

sheets I use either Ultra Pro Platinum or BCW and of course D ring binders. One note on the binders make sure that the D ring is a true D not one with an angled straight. I bought some online and the straight part was angled from the curve.

Use Ultra Pro Platinum and NOT the Silver version.

As for binders, they are way more expensive at retail than they need to be, so I hit up the thrift stores to find them if I need more and/or specific sizes.

Thanks all!