How to store Pokémon cards, from bulk to chase cards

Sort into three piles

Open your packs, then sort before you protect anything. Bulk commons and uncommons go in one pile, the cards you like or play with in another, and the hits, the full arts, the alternate arts and anything numbered in the third. Each pile gets a different level of protection.

Bulk: box it

Commons and energy do not need sleeves. Keep them upright in a cardboard storage box, sorted by set, with dividers. Upright matters: cards stored in a heap pick up dents from each other.

Middle pile: sleeve and binder or box

Cards you want to keep nice go into a soft sleeve, then either a side-loading binder or a storage box. Avoid ring binders that pinch cards near the rings.

Hits: sleeve and toploader

Chase cards get the full sleeve-first treatment: a 2.6" x 3.6" soft sleeve, then a 3" x 4" toploader, standing upright in a box. Standard English Pokémon cards sit comfortably in our 35pt shells with the sleeve on.

• Japanese-size cards are smaller and need their own fitted sleeves
• Keep boxes away from heat, damp and direct sunlight
• Planning to grade a card? Move it to a semi-rigid when you submit

How many holders to buy

Count the hits from your last few boxes and multiply by the number of boxes you open in a season. Most people who open product regularly outgrow a 400-piece set faster than they expect.