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I once collected sports cards.

My means to store sports cards were to slip the card into a soft-sleeve cover, whether in a binder or a plastic bin made for card collecting. For "more valuable" cards (ie. rookie cards), I would slip the soft-sleeve covered card into a hard-sleeve cover.

I have taken a look at different grading scales for the condition of sports cards, and one thing seems to be common in card collecting...a card that is graded as "near perfect" is known to be in "mint" condition.

One grading scale grades a card in "mint" condition as a 96/100.

A minor flaw may exist upon close examination.

Another grading scale grades a card in "mint" condition as a 9/10.

...a superb condition card that exhibits only one ... minor [flaw]

What factors should I consider toward keeping sports cards in mint condition?

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  • Interesting - in my mind this is off-topic for Sports SE because, although there is a slight connection to sports, the answer and question could be applied to cards of other themes. The difficulty is that I don't see any other obvious SE site where it would belong, and it seems a reasonable question. It would probably fit best on the proposed Collectors & Collections SE site - which isn't much help, since it's still in the definition phase.
    – Spinner
    Commented Jul 17, 2013 at 9:15
  • @edmastermind29, I'm not sure about, but it is not about sports.
    – Azik Abdullah
    Commented Jul 17, 2013 at 12:42
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    @SportsFan Okay. Just trying out a question about a new topic. However, I do debate that a question about sports "on all levels" would include collecting...if we also include sports media, sports history, and sports theories, what's wrong with sports collectibles?
    – user527
    Commented Jul 17, 2013 at 13:09
  • 2
    Meta discussion here.
    – user527
    Commented Jul 17, 2013 at 13:13
  • 2
    This is very much on topic as a part of sports fandom.
    – wax eagle
    Commented Jul 17, 2013 at 13:20

1 Answer 1

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Moisture is obviously a major factor. Keep them away from any water source, or out of a basement.

Also sunlight, as that will cause the color of the cards to fade. Although if they are in a box that is not an issue.

Be careful of the corners. Make sure they do not get bent, ripped, or warped in any manor, as that will seriously detract from your overall value.

You seem to know what you are doing with these and have taken the necessary steps to keep your cards safe.

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