Storing Topps base sets....

[DynaEtch]

Im not mainly a baseball collector, but the new 2024 Topps Neon set (of all things) and the '75 set design revisiting by Heritage this year got me thinking of collecting a run of flagship Topps sets. The completionist in me shies away from the concept because going back to 1952 (or 1951) would be prohibitive in so many ways, but figure it might be fun to at least try and complete what's possible, just unsure how far back that would go.

First off- who else does this? And which starting year did you decide? Also do you include the traded sets and more recently, Update series as part of each year.

Second thing is storage, how do you store it?
I think I decided I would not want just a stack of sealed factory sets (for the last few decades)...what's the fun in that, plus the consistency would bug me since when you go back far enough, there is no factory set. It seems the two major options are binder vs 800ct long boxes. Each has pros and cons.
Binders: Pros: Cards are more easily viewed, possibly can customize binder covers for nice presentation. Cons: Takes up an absolute ton of space for a Topps run like this. Expensive...in several cases, e.g. the junk wax era, the binder and pages costing more than the set inside (in some ways a 1989 Topps set in a binder is silly!). Finally, perhaps a bit of a question with condition issues related to binder storage.
Long Boxes: Pros: Takes up less space, cheaper, can enjoy the set cards on a more individual basis. Cons: Cards buried in a box, not as displayable, and possible issues of bowing (the old cardboard cards) or even sticking (glossy 90s-2000s sets) from long term storage. Plus not being in a penny sleeve for each card could impact condition.

Neither sounds all that great tbh and I cant get a good grasp on the route I'd want to go. Are there any other ways? I was thinking even like a hybrid thing, like binders for the more expensive older sets, and long boxes for like anything newer and cheaper. (I couldnt see keeping a 1969 topps set, if I even ever got that point, in a long box). Kinda a bummer for the uniformity splitting the storage method like that, but I guess an option.

Would love to hear about/see examples of how others have done it. Surely many out there collect Topps flagships ever year. Part of me thinks the collecting idea is silly since like 90% of a collection like this would be commons (and for most people, barely worth saving if they werent part of a set). Then again collecting all the different Topps set designs over the years sounds fun.

[fulltritty]

All of my sets are in binders. Where I can, I combine sets in binders to save space. I recently moved and man do I have a lot of binders. They are still the best way to me to store and enjoy them though.

[Tastybrisket10]

I collect all Rangers, any set any year. At some point you just get so many cards you realize even if you put them in binders you won't look at the binders so you might as well leave them in boxes, they take up less space. Have a couple of small 1" binders for your favorite (or rotate cards out) and then put your nicest cards on display.

[NYBBFAN]

2 row boxes, sleeved. Good inserts/parallels get a toploader. It’s that simple. That works for all of the sets I’ve put together over the years.

[ObanMontecristo]

I have flagship Topps sets going back to ‘71 and I just keep them in long boxes, with a few of the key/valuable cards in toploaders along the top. I do have a couple of chrome sets in binders to avoid fingerprints/scratching

[Soflo97]

I'm just getting back into the hobby and am wondering the same. What i get is binders are great for viewing but the problem is that the cards creep up and the corners get exposed. I think sleeved in long boxes are probably the safest way to store?

[OhioLawyerF5]

For me personally, I'm a binder type of guy. I am someone who will spend more money on storage and display than the cards are worth. Because it's not investing to me, but collecting. And a big part of collecting is how I enjoy my collection. I might spend $15 on a binder and pages to store a 1989 Topps set that I bought for $10 and that doesn't bother me at all. I get much more than $25 enjoyment out of having it in a binder that looks nice and is easy to present and look through. Heck, I put $5 cards from my PC in magnetic one touches just because I like looking at and handling them that way more than a toploader.

[whitmm]

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

Long Boxes: Pros: Takes up less space, cheaper, can enjoy the set cards on a more individual basis. Cons: Cards buried in a box, not as displayable, and possible issues of bowing (the old cardboard cards) or even sticking (glossy 90s-2000s sets) from long term storage. Plus not being in a penny sleeve for each card could impact condition.

The 700 card base set of Series 1 and Series 2 should fit into an 800 count box with penny sleeves on.

[dodgerfanjohn]

All my sets are in binders but they are mismatched and I don’t have shelf space to store all of them. I’d like to buy cases of the same binders for uniformity.

As a kid I started with 1980 Topps. About 12 years ago I was laid up for a a total of a year across three years and started buying what turned out to be very inexpensive vending boxes to improve my 1979 to 1985 Topps sets (everything after that I already had complete) and then went back and bought 1976-1978 as they were not expensive.

My retirement goal is this setup, which I think is amazing:


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[Slette]

I think I've asked this before, but has anyone ever found a binder than can hold a full Series 1, 2, and Update set? I want to build the 2013, 2015, and 2020 for the years my daughters were born, but prefer to keep them all in one binder vs. splitting across two, if possible.

I know places like Office Max sell larger binders, but in the past I have found they bend the back pages funny.

Also, that picture above me is beautiful.

[wilsonsingles]

Originally Posted by whitmm

The 700 card base set of Series 1 and Series 2 should fit into an 800 count box with penny sleeves on.

660 will. 700 no

[OneBuck]

I used to sleeve and box all of my sets. That works great for storing them, but if you ever want to look through them I find it pretty difficult to flip through a full set of sleeved cards & keep them in order. I also collect sets of various sizes & I attempted to keep them in appropriate sized boxes. That just ends up being an annoying game of Tetris trying to store them.
Currently binders are my preferred method for sets, but it does get expensive & difficult to store.

[whitmm]

Originally Posted by wilsonsingles

660 will. 700 no

I knew my 330 sets fit comfortably into the 400 count boxes. For some reason, I thought my 350s did as well. 930 boxes are always an option, with a piece of foam.

[Coug46n2]

For better or worse, I'm a set collector. Most of my sets I keep in long boxes. 300ct, 400ct, 550ct, 660ct, or 800ct depending on the year/set/size. For example, a normal Topps set (series 1, 2, or update) with insert sets I usually use a 550ct box. Silver pack sets I keep separate in their own 300ct - 400ct box depending on size. I do penny sleeve every card that goes into the box. Except Heritage, only because I can't get a master heritage set into an 800ct box with sleeves. I do sleeve key cards from Heritage. HHN I sleeve and put in a long box.

When it comes to sets, I don't feel the need to view or look back at them once completed. Knowing I have the set is enough for me. After putting the set together, I do keep a second copy of key RCs, stars, cool inserts, parallels.... that I put in top loaders and keep with my PC. So if I need to view cards from a set, I typically have extras, outside the set, that will satisfy the viewing need. If that makes sense.

Binders are just too bulky for me. I have a bunch from years of collecting, I use those for my Twins, Vikings, USA sets, Spokane Indians (MilB), and other lower end collections that I flip through from time to time.

I do have a few sets, in 9 pocket pages, that I keep in old Rawlings baseball boxes. I like that the pages lay flat, aren't subject to bending/folding, store easier, and if I want to look through them it is easier than soft sleeves in long boxes.

[Coug46n2]

I've also considered putting sets in penny sleeves and 5000ct boxes (5 row I think?). I don't know if that would take up less space than boxing each individual set. Depends on storage location I guess.

Another idea is to put together 'sets' that consist of only HOF, key RC, or other stars from each year. Rather than a full 700-1000 complete set, it would likely be 3-5 9 pocket pages worth for each year. Easier to store, keep in binders, easy viewing, gives a good representation of the cards for that year. Just an idea.

[fireballmike]

I have complete Topps flagship sets going back to 1970 as well as partial sets back to the 1950's. I have evolved into a hybrid approach with all sets and partials from 1952 through 2002 in 9 pocket sheets and three ring binders. I have the same black binder look and these are displayed in a nice bookshelf. I included the update/traded sets with each appropriate year. Starting in 2003 I have the sealed factory sets from 2003 to present 2024.

Another thing I did with the older sets and partial sets is I sorted them alphabetically by player last name instead of card number, so it is easy to lookup favorite players etc. as you are paging through a set. This also has a good side affect imo, that groups together multi player cards such as all-stars or team rookies or any other subset for easy finding/viewing together.

Good luck with whatever you decide, but for me I really enjoy looking at the older cards, so binders are the way to go for me.

[base set]

A good answer is: both.

[DynaEtch]

Lots of great posts and ideas here! The idea of a Topps flagship run is a bit daunting from a time/money/storage angle, so just want to get an idea in my mind of how I want it to be before really getting into it.

Originally Posted by dodgerfanjohn

My retirement goal is this setup, which I think is amazing:

This is just outstanding. A little voice in me was nervously wondering... "is this what a Topps Flagship run looks like in binders?"- literally taking up a wall of bookshelfs? But then counting them, no it appears there is more like 200 binders here, must be extra sets than just topps (~70 sets)...phew.

Still..70ish large bulky binders is nothing to balk at. What I do love about the above is the uniformity. The one thing I really would not want with a flagship run is a mishmash of random binders (office, ultra pro, etc), or even a mishmash of boxed sets (some in factory boxes, some bcw boxes)...uniformity is one of the biggest considerations I'd want actually with a run like this.

Originally Posted by Coug46n2

When it comes to sets, I don't feel the need to view or look back at them once completed. Knowing I have the set is enough for me.

I do have a few sets, in 9 pocket pages, that I keep in old Rawlings baseball boxes. I like that the pages lay flat, aren't subject to bending/folding, store easier, and if I want to look through them it is easier than soft sleeves in long boxes.

This is a point I was considering myself- would I even really be going back to flip through sets that much once completed? I look at the binder wall pic above- I just love it- but how much does the person who owns that actually pull out one of those random bulky binders to to browse through? I dont know. Heck, there are large coffee table books that have every pic of Topps cards from 1951 to at least 1985 (front images at least) like the following you can get for 30 to 50 bucks- https://ebay.com/itm/315128888819. I will say Im a binder person and like the viewability, but I also do get the mindset of 'once it's collected, it's done and out of sight'.

That's a neat idea to keep the 9-pocket pages in a box. Warping of cards in bent pages is one of the my concerns with binders and that solves it. I just dont think I could do it because it's harder to just flip through a set- for someone who collects the set then puts it away- it makes sense.

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by Coug46n2

I've also considered putting sets in penny sleeves and 5000ct boxes (5 row I think?). I don't know if that would take up less space than boxing each individual set. Depends on storage location I guess.

Another idea is to put together 'sets' that consist of only HOF, key RC, or other stars from each year. Rather than a full 700-1000 complete set, it would likely be 3-5 9 pocket pages worth for each year. Easier to store, keep in binders, easy viewing, gives a good representation of the cards for that year. Just an idea.

To your first point- I thought about the monster box route- knock out 4 (or 5) sets with each box! One drawback I guess is the heavy weight of a box full with cards and sleeves. I store my Marvel duplicates in this manner



These suckers get heavy fast. But is definitely economical in terms of storage. Some above mentioned 2 row shoeboxes with penny sleeves (I would not be storing a set without penny sleeves vertically in these). Anyone know if either horizontal vs vertical makes a difference with bowing? (The way the paper stock curves into a C), or does sleeved impact it? I know the tightness of the block of cards in the box is important. Also on the sleeved note, I do like how they prevent bricking in long storage. But especially with the newer glossy cards, I still wonder if any of the material of the sleeve could eventually adhere to the glossy surface and cause issues. Sleeves are “supposed” to be totally inert- but nothing is really totally, and although they are PVC/acid free, this is what a sleeve I just took out of a new ultra pro pack looks like (you have to hold it in the perfect light)



I don’t know what those splotches are, if it really is just moisture or something else, but appears to be common with polypropylene type plastics. Then again, it’s just a sleeve and probably analyzing it too much.

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by fireballmike

I have complete Topps flagship sets going back to 1970 as well as partial sets back to the 1950's. I have evolved into a hybrid approach with all sets and partials from 1952 through 2002 in 9 pocket sheets and three ring binders. I have the same black binder look and these are displayed in a nice bookshelf. I included the update/traded sets with each appropriate year. Starting in 2003 I have the sealed factory sets from 2003 to present 2024.

Another thing I did with the older sets and partial sets is I sorted them alphabetically by player last name instead of card number, so it is easy to lookup favorite players etc. as you are paging through a set. This also has a good side affect imo, that groups together multi player cards such as all-stars or team rookies or any other subset for easy finding/viewing together.

Good luck with whatever you decide, but for me I really enjoy looking at the older cards, so binders are the way to go for me.

1970 seems to be a popular dividing point for a flagship run. I guess because a 1969 complete set runs what...up to $5k in reasonably worn condition and includes Mantle. I like the 70s decade since so many great vintage looking sets, yes mass produced, but not totally mass produced, and many still in reach of an average collector's budget.

I like that idea of sorting the cards by player name within a set- that's a new one. I have heard of people doing it by team also, and I feel like the presentation inside the binder would be better sorted by team. But knowing me I'll just do numerical order being a boring by the book person.

Do you ever wonder if any of the sealed factory sets 2003+ have bricked though? This is one reason I dont think Id want to keep a sealed factory set in a collection. Im not sure if the newest Topps sets do, but I know at least the 2003 era can. I guess one could consider it a schrodingers cat type situation in that 'the set can be bricked/not bricked', but it doesnt matter since the sealed box itself is the collectible unit. Me though, Im always going to be wondering.

Originally Posted by OhioLawyerF5

For me personally, I'm a binder type of guy. I am someone who will spend more money on storage and display than the cards are worth. Because it's not investing to me, but collecting. And a big part of collecting is how I enjoy my collection. I might spend $15 on a binder and pages to store a 1989 Topps set that I bought for $10 and that doesn't bother me at all. I get much more than $25 enjoyment out of having it in a binder that looks nice and is easy to present and look through. Heck, I put $5 cards from my PC in magnetic one touches just because I like looking at and handling them that way more than a toploader.

I completely agree with this. Presentation is absolutely huge for me, way up there in the biggest aspects for me in collecting. For example, when thinking about putting all the sets in long boxes, my first thought is: how can I make it displayable and uniform. And quickly realized besides just having bland hand collated white boxes, that's pretty much it (I would not want to mix newer factory set boxes with older sets in white boxes- not uniform). Has anyone successfully customized a white box for a set? Without a 3D printer I think it would be quite hard indeed. I tried printing paper that sticks on one side, but it eventually starts to peel off. Someone on ebay is offering customized long boxes for Topps sets but it's like $40+shipping a pop, plus only covers the older Topps sets.

Binder-wise, has anyone found a custom solution for a flagship run that would incorporate the whole run? Usually these involve sticking graphics inserts into a view-binder (office binder). Im having a problem finding anything that covers the whole run. Making my own and printing it on a 8.5x11 sheet is not viable since that would be too small for the whole front cover, and would look amateurish. A few sellers on ebay have custom graphics for binders including topps sets, but does not cover the whole run including most of the newer sets.

There is one place I found that offers all the binders 1952-present for Topps, and they look fantastic (although not cheap if talking about the whole run). Havent bought from them before, but they look nice.

https://www.baseballcardbinders.com/...nders/page/11/

The only thing that would really bug me is the covers for all the Topps say stuff like "Pro set" instead of Topps set....I know they probably have to keep it brandless, but that generic thing...eh.

So without any great ideas on the custom binder side, I wonder if just doing the ol uniform 3 inch BCW or Ultra Binder would have to do...wouldnt be my first choice though, I like the set graphics better.

[smanzari]

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

I don’t know what those splotches are, if it really is just moisture or something else, but appears to be common with polypropylene type plastics. Then again, it’s just a sleeve and probably analyzing it too much.

They're just Newton Rings

[base set]

Ultra•Pro binders are great but they have one hidden flaw if you use the little sleeve on the edge for a sample card to illustrate the contents. Works great and looks nice with a good looking card in there. Say the Coco Crisp card for 2014 Topps.

The problem becomes if you change your mind about what to keep in a given binder and you want to switch that card out of there … Good Luck! You’ll need it.

[somethingclever]

I’m working on a 1972 to present run of Topps.

This is how I currently store them.
1973-76, binders a couple of them took years to build and upgrade so I felt like the binders allowed me to look through them and visually inspect my progress. I haven’t put the 72s in a binder but it’s on my list since it’s 70% or so. Only other one I need to finish is 73 I have need less then 20 cards. I originally had planned on stopping at 73, but I got a good deal on some 72s and it just snowballed from there.

1977-1992 just 800 count boxes, 77-79 are sleeved. I have been slowly filling in the traded since I completed this portion of the run, but only as I found deals or decided I real wanted a certain XRC.

1993-2023 mostly sleeved in 800 or 900 count boxes, 2018 is in a binder. I have a couple of update sets, but I felt the new to get everyone.

I mostly avoid factory sets, but I’ve picked up a couple when I could get them cheaper then the key RC, otherwise I hand built everything, mostly from buying lots, collections, and finally singles.


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[mmier118]

I used to store them in binders, but it started to take up too much space, at some point I switched to 800ct boxes. One downside to binders is that after 15 years or so it makes sense to replace the binders and ultra pro pages. Maybe just the older ones weren’t as good as they are now. Although I have to admit, if I had the room, I’d love to have my sets back in binders. Just seemed like too much space and maintenance for me to keep up with.

[DynaEtch]

Good stuff. Im picturing these early '70s to present flagship collections, that's really quite the collection being like 50 sets.

Anyone attempt the really daunting task of extending flagship run much below '70? Do you even bother trying to acquire those by large lots and singles, or is it much smarter to buy as a set? (not that I'll probably be touching those much). How about 70s sets...just better to buy the set outright?

Im still torn on the binder vs box thing. Contemplating: keep finished sets in long boxes....but keep the current one Im collecting (in this case 2024 topps neon) in a binder as I chip away and finish it. So I can more easily enjoy the set visually for that year, and also see which ones I need with missing pockets...then once finished, move it to a box. Then proceed to the next year. Im not a huge fan of boxes, but storing literally 50+ binders might be a dealbreaker for me. Also good point about having to change out the binders pages after decades.

Originally Posted by smanzari

They're just Newton Rings

Looks like it could be. Although I thought they were more rainbowy, I guess that would make sense. I separated the sides of the sleeve and could still faintly see it on a single side. I do think 1993-present would be smart to use sleeves for no bricking.