Every time you turn a page in your binder you put a tiny amount of wear on your cards. I know this might be an over exaggeration, but imagine your cards as a beach, and your binder as the ocean. The cards tend to shift around, and the top two corners can be exposed to damage. Over time this will add wear to your cards.

A lot of binder users tend to over populate their binders as well. This adds weight to the cards underneath, and forces the binder to bend. If you have chrome cards they tend to bend with the binder, and nothing is more annoying to a picky collector then attempting to make a once cherry card flat again.

Binder pages also tend to get stuck under the steel rings, and not only is this a royal pain, but it can also damage your cards. I have witnessed cards badly damaged, because the pages have slid out of a binder in transport.

Binders are also very bulky, and unattractive.

A little advice,

Sleeve and, top load your favorites.

Store them in a safe location that is easy to access , and out of direct sunlight. I use a file cabinet, but a covered shoebox works well.

Either sleeve your commons, or leave them bare, and store them in a nice fold over box (you can get them at any card shop).

This practice will provide you with a lifetime of mint collecting, and will also give your collection a nice safe home. It’s also the safest way to examine your cards individually as well.

The Mojo Hand