How to Organize a Sports Card Collection

The process of collecting sports cards is made more difficult by the number of cards involved in an average collection. Hundreds of cards may not seem like a lot, but organizing these valuable items can be daunting. Sports card collectors need to organize their collections with an eye to the future instead of the present.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer with Internet capability
• Storage boxes
• Plastic sleeves for cards
• Binders

Create an Organizational Scheme for Sports Cards

1. Preview sports card organization software online. There are many websites like Sports Card Organizer that sell software designed specifically to keep track of your collection (see Resources below). Collectors should try to get a demo of the software to get acquainted with the user interface.
2. Organize your sports card collection by brand name and number before placing it in protective sleeves. Collectors with multiple years of the same brand name should place their collections in chronological order. Base cards should be organized from the lowest number to the highest.
3. Place insert cards and other special cards by a particular company at the end of the appropriate year. For example, a 1992 baseball card series should have all of the base cards in order followed by any rookie or MVP cards.
4. Leave spaces empty in your plastic sheets to represent missing parts of your collection. These empty slots help collectors remember which cards they need and help eliminate needless reorganization in the future.
5. Keep track of every card in your sports card collection as you place them in their protective sheets. This record should include the brand name, year, card number and condition entered into the collection. These records should be printed and placed within the collection and other home records.
6. Separate sports cards by sports, brands and years as best as possible. Early in the collection process, placing different sports or brands in one binder is a good space saving move. As collections grow, it is important to organize sports cards with as many divisions as possible for easy retrieval.

Tips & Warnings

• Create an organizational scheme that is easy to use as you build a sports card collection. Avid collectors use software, inventory lists and other methods to keep track of their sports cards. Busy sports card enthusiasts should consider simpler methods and develop updated inventories for new additions.