Protect your cards
Sleeves, toploaders, binders and storage, explained plainly, plus how to buy sealed product without paying a reseller's price.
Everything a new collector needs
Four things cover almost everyone: an inner and an outer sleeve, a binder for the cards you flip through, and a box for the rest. These are the ones we would start with.
Sizes at a glance
Most mistakes are a size mismatch. Sizes below are the common ones; brands differ by a millimetre or two, so check the pack.
| Item | Size | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Pokémon card (standard size) | 63 x 88 mm (2.5 x 3.5 in) | Nothing to buy; this is the size the rest are built around. |
| Outer sleeve, standard | about 66 x 91 mm | Fits over a card that is already in an inner sleeve. |
| Inner sleeve, "perfect fit" | about 64 x 89 mm | Snug on the card, small enough to slide into an outer sleeve or a toploader. |
| Toploader, 35pt | 3 x 4 in | A rigid holder for one card. The "pt" number is thickness in thousandths of an inch; 35pt suits ordinary cards. |
| Magnetic one-touch | by point thickness: 35pt for ordinary cards, 55pt and up for thick ones | Pick the number that matches the card, or it will not close. |
Double-sleeving
- Slide the card into a perfect-fit inner sleeve, open end up, holding it by the edges.
- Slide that into a standard outer sleeve with the open end the other way, so dust has a longer way in.
- For a card you really care about, a sleeved card goes into a 35pt toploader or a one-touch.
Choosing a binder
- Side-loading pockets keep cards from sliding out of the top when the binder is tipped.
- A zip keeps the whole thing closed in a bag.
- No-ring binders avoid the dent a ring can press into the page next to your best cards.
- Do not overfill it: a bulging binder bends the cards inside.
Storing bulk
Cards you do not need to look at are best stored upright in a cardboard storage box, sorted by set, and kept somewhere cool and dry, away from windows. Do not stack heavy things on top.
What a new collector actually needs
Five things cover almost everyone. Ticks are saved on this device only.
- Perfect-fit inner sleeves. One per card you want to keep clean.
- Outer sleeves. Over the inner sleeve for double-sleeving.
- A pack of 35pt toploaders. For the few cards you would hate to bend.
- One side-loading binder. For the cards you want to flip through.
- A storage box for bulk. So the rest does not live in a shoebox.
Buying sealed on Amazon without paying scalper prices
- On the listing, find the seller line. You want Ships from Amazon.com and Sold by Amazon.com. A third-party seller on the same page is often a reseller.
- Compare the listing to the publisher's MSRP on our Products pages. If a listing asks much more, it is likely a reseller and worth skipping.
- Preorders sold by Amazon.com are often the fairest way in; read the release date and the cancellation terms before you order.
- When you are unsure, wait. Retail restocks happen, and our Drops and Near me tabs show where.
GFEA is not affiliated with Nintendo or The Pokémon Company.