Organizing your TCG cards is an integral part of growing your collection. You can choose to follow several methods of organizing these TCG into binders. This article deals with these ways and the particular set of benefits and disadvantages accompanied by each method.
You can choose to organize your TCG cards based on the following characteristics:
Color
Organizing cards based on card colors are particularly suited for collections with a small number of cards. Such a method makes it easy for playing partners to look up cards that have been separated on a color basis. The standard card colors you will find out there are:
- Promo cards
- Gold or Hybrid cards
- Colorless cards
- Land cards
It is relatively easy to sort through small card collections and fast with this method and find the one you are looking for. A helpful tip you should follow while stocking new cards is to place blank pages between each new section of stored cards. Following this method will let you put cards without disturbing the organizing scheme during busy card trading sessions.
Some TCG card traders are in doubt about whether to stack cards in their binder behind one another. You can look at this in two ways, and both are equally valid.
If you stack similar cards on top of each other, it will help you save crucial binder space, but you also make your cards vulnerable to damage. A better option is to use card sleeves while doing so. Stacking lets you save yourself the trouble of carrying around a large and bloated binder with you every time you go for a trading session. However, you indeed need to treat the cards with care while taking them out and never pull them.
Storing cards by color is by no means flashy, but it is highly effective for small card collections.
Benefits:
- It is easy to organize the collection and keep things updated
- It makes the task of finding sections of small groups easy
Disadvantages:
- Unsuitable for extensive card collections
- You waste binder pages by choosing this option
Price
You will find things getting more challenging for you if you choose to organize your cards based on their price. However, it is handy in a room full of card sharks who are pressed for time and are making trades each moment. There are indeed certain benefits that accompany being able to open a binder and see the most valuable cards right at the start. But the associated risks make this practice highly inadvisable.
Consider this; someone who opens a binder organized in such a way will jump to selective trading opportunities if they have beforehand knowledge of the card’s value while you don’t. Additionally, you would need to keep up your organizing efforts to maintain this method. While you do want to be a profitable trader, it is doubtful that you want to spend hours keeping your TCG cards meticulously organized.
Benefits
- The binder looks professional and focused when you use this method
- The ease of navigation is beneficial while dealing with people who take their TCG trades very seriously
Disadvantages
- It is hard to manage and maintain
- Prone to high-risk levels if you fail to keep your collection properly
Format
This is the organizing method you want to use if you have a large or even relatively large card collection consisting of many old cards. Most TCG card trainers want Type 2 standard variety of cards and not 2004 rarities. When you divide your collection by time, it becomes straightforward to know your pool’s strong cards.
However, organizing cards in such a way might discourage some of your casual trader friends. This, of course, depends on how familiar this friend is with TCG cards. Remember, there are plenty of traders who have no idea what terms like “Type 2”, “Extended,” “Legacy,” and “Vintage” mean in the world of TCG cards. For example, if a trader is looking for a random Green card in your binder that’s new to them and wants to add such cards to their decks, they will have to toil harder to get to them. Such required additional efforts are one big drawback of organizing cards by format.
Benefits
- Well suited for extensive TCG card collections
- Makes trading fast with knowledgeable and focused partners
Disadvantages
- Can discourage or rather intimidate casual players
- As color is distributed several times, searching for cards takes more time
Final Thoughts
It is essential to choose the organizing method that works the best for you when we are talking about TCG cards. Each process you follow will come with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Your needs and the size of your collection are the factors that will best determine your choice. I hope you have loads of fun in your next trading session while staying organized!