Storing Topps base sets....

[lemmer]

To the question about binders vs. boxes:

I keep my "in progress" sets in a 3200 ct box with a few rows for traders and move completed sets to a binder. The sets I complete have a 200 card checklist, so I get away with 1"-1.5" binders.

Not sure I'd want to handle the huge 3"+ binders you'd need for a topps flagship set, but I can say that I look through my sets 10x more often in binders than I did when they were in boxes. I also find it easier to share my collection with others. I'm more likely to pick a binder off the shelf and flip through it than pull out a box, open it, and start taking stacks of cards out to show someone.

[NYBBFAN]

Originally Posted by lemmer

To the question about binders vs. boxes:

I keep my "in progress" sets in a 3200 ct box with a few rows for traders and move completed sets to a binder. The sets I complete have a 200 card checklist, so I get away with 1"-1.5" binders.

Not sure I'd want to handle the huge 3"+ binders you'd need for a topps flagship set, but I can say that I look through my sets 10x more often in binders than I did when they were in boxes. I also find it easier to share my collection with others. I'm more likely to pick a binder off the shelf and flip through it than pull out a box, open it, and start taking stacks of cards out to show someone.

I don’t know a single person in real life who would care. Must be nice!

[lemmer]

Originally Posted by NYBBFAN

I don’t know a single person in real life who would care. Must be nice!

Haha yeah no kidding, I didn't either until recently. Turns out my father-in-law collected as a kid and enjoys looking through my collection with me. He also follows minor league baseball so knows a lot of the teams and players. We have a good time flipping through my minor league sets and seeing guys we followed through the system.

[base set]

Even the very first “factory set” - in 1974 - appeared in a colorful illustrated box, though the product then disappeared again for many years. But a lot of sets directly from Topps won’t need DIY box art upgrades.

In the early 10s Topps also produced set specific binders for a while for Topps Baseball and Allen & Ginter sets too.

Many years have collectable / non-standard versions of the factory set, such as sets sold only at the All-Star Game. Check out the 2012 Fenway set for another example; I don’t know how many similar releases there might be over the years.

[johnnycarp69]

I happen to be a binder/box hybrid collector myself. And while I keep my "display" sets in binders, I also store a second "master" set in custom-made boxes that emulate the branding design of the late 80's Topps Factory sets. I grew tired of storing my run of complete sets from 1962-1985 in plain white boxes, so I created my own that maintain a nice sense of consistency & uniformity. And while I've purchased a complete run of factory sets from 1986–2023, I've found myself having to create custom boxes for the Update Series from 2001 to the present. Hope this gives you some food for thought!

Here are some examples (and can be found for purchase at the link below):



https://www.ebay.com/sch/Card-Storag...Djunkwaxjunkie

[lemmer]

those custom boxes are super cool

[DynaEtch]

Those are incredible and I love the attention of the color match like in the '71 Topps set. That is exactly the uniformity Im looking for, and in fact I was eyeing them on ebay before. Only problem is it's very hard to custom make a box like that, all 6 sides, have the graphics easily affix to the box permanently, and other considerations. And at the price of like $50ish a box it just adds up to a lot when trying to do it for the whole run. But that's the kind of thing that gives a collection a bit of extra 'personal flare'- love it.