Keeping Your Collectible Cards Safe

For many avid baseball fans, collecting cards as a kid has turned into something else as an adult. You’ve held on to that Pete Rose rookie card; you’ve kept that limited-time Willie Mays card; and you’ve carefully handled your 1962 Yogi Berra card. Now, you wait for their value to appreciate. Unfortunately, this wait comes with its own set of challenges.

According to the NY Post, a T206 Honus Wagner card recently sold at auction for 2.1 million dollars. Not only was this card so valuable because it was so rare, but it was also valuable because it was kept in mint (or near mint) condition.

So, as you wait for one of your cards to become the next Honus Wager, how do you keep them safe? Start by considering the following:

Use Protective Holders and Screw Cases
One of the simplest ways to protect your cards is with protective holders, such as a plastic sleeve and a top-loader plastic card sheet. For cards that have the most value, using a screw case (a case that screws the card into place so it can’t move around) or plastic card frames should offer even more protection.

Try PVC Free Cases
Polyvinyl Chloride free cases come in a variety of sizes, with some holding up to 250 cards. These cases create a seal that helps keep the cards safe. Some of the newer cases even come with UV protection, which helps protect the cards from sunlight, and keeps the color and text from fading.

Consider Safe Deposit Boxes
If you don’t feel safe keeping your cards in your home, in fear they will meet a burglar, a swarm of termites, or the occasional candy covered fingers of your small children, placing them in a safe deposit box at your local bank is a smart alternative. Safe deposit boxes offer protection you can’t get in many other places. Using them to store your Certificates of Authority is also a good idea.

Watch for Elements
It’s not only people and pests that can take your baseball cards from mint condition to barely readable: natural elements can hurt too. Things like humidity, light, and heat will wreak havoc on your cards, thus it’s essential to keep them somewhere cool, dim, and dry. If your cards are of great value, you may also consider investing in an air regulator to keep them from decaying.

Get Insurance
If you have a card collection worth quite a lot of money, you might consider getting the collection appraised, and then insuring it in the event of a loss. According to Tricor Insurance, home owner’s insurance plans do offer some protection against the loss of you cards.  However, supplemental insurance is usually needed if the cards are particularly valuable (greater than 5,000 dollars).

Keep them Away from Others
Ask anyone who runs a card shop and they will probably tell you hundreds of stories they’ve heard about members of a household who threw out Mickey Mantle, Satchel Paige, Ted Williams and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson baseball cards, believing them worthless. To assure your cards don’t end up in a landfill, keep them away from other members of your household who may mistake them for garbage. It might also be helpful to educate them regarding their overall worth, in the event that the cards are left unattended, they will not be disregarded.

This article was written by Sheldon Armstrong, a regular contributor here at INFOtainment News! He writes this on behalf of Card Kingdom, your number one choice when looking for individual collectible Magic: The Gathering cards. They're valuable, so make sure to keep them safe with these tips!