Last week, I wrote about how vintage cards usually look better in 9-pocket pages because pages tend to hide some of the flaws that would otherwise be visible. But this also brought back to light something that has always bothered me: how should I store my unused card pages?
I know this sounds like a silly question, but for over 20 years, I never knew what to do with the pages I wasn’t using. Like, you buy a box of 100 pages and only use 50 of them, you could stash the rest almost anywhere because they won’t take up much space. And a normal collector could do just that.
But what if you are a freak like me who has ALL the different sizes of card pages?
In addition to several hundred 9-pocket pages, I also have:
1-pocket magazine pages
1-pocket 8×10 photo pages
2-pocket 5×7 photo pages
2-pocket “envelope” pages
3-pocket postcard pages
3-pocket currency pages
4-pocket postcard pages
4-pocket currency pages
5-pocket photo pages
6-pocket “tall boy” pages
8-pocket “Bowman” pages
12-pocket “sticker” pages
15-pocket “tobacco card” pages
20-pocket “coin” pages
20-pocket “POG” pages…don’t judge me! 🙂
Some of these card box pages are full, while others only have a few pages in them.
Many times, the boxes – especially those that had only a few pages – would get torn or fall apart, causing pages to spill out whenever I moved them around, trying to find what I need.
The boxes didn’t stack neatly, were hard to sift through, and were just an eyesore. I mean, just look at it!
First world problems, I know.
Compounding the problem is that I had some card pages that were in packs of 10 or 20 and came in bags and were stored in a different bin.
So, I finally decided to do something about it. I found these 6-quart clear storage bins on Amazon that stack neatly and are just big enough to store card pages – but not so big that they waste space These bins are sturdy, and tall enough to fit about 250 pages.
So much better, right?
And I didn’t stop there. A lot of my other supplies were just tossed into whatever boxes I had lying around at the time and shoved into the closet wherever they might fit. So, I got some larger storage bins from Walmart to store my larger toploaders (such as 4×6, 5×7, and 8×10), magazine supplies, and really big collecting supplies, such as “Life Magazine” and 11×17 bags and boards.
I’ve only dealt with the top two shelves, but so far, I am pleased with the results.
I’m still not done turning my “Card Closet of Chaos” into the “Card Closet of Calamity.” I have two more shelves and the floor space to contend with next. It’s an ongoing process, but I hope to be finished with this project by early 2026.
Note: This article is an updated version of an editorial that originally appeared in Volume 3 – Issue 50 of the Puck Junk Newsletter. For stories like these, plus news and updates about hockey cards and collectibles, subscribe to the newsletter here.
Sal Barry is the editor and webmaster of Puck Junk. He is a freelance hockey writer, college professor and terrible hockey player. Follow him on Twitter @puckjunk
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One thought on “Taming the Card Closet of Chaos”
If you have extra card pages you probably have extra empty binders? I store my straggler pages in the binders-in-waiting. The binders and pages get to play in the minor leagues prior to getting called up to the big club and play in the show one day.
Last week, I wrote about how vintage cards usually look better in 9-pocket pages because pages tend to hide some of the flaws that would otherwise be visible. But this also brought back to light something that has always bothered me: how should I store my unused card pages? 
If you have extra card pages you probably have extra empty binders? I store my straggler pages in the binders-in-waiting. The binders and pages get to play in the minor leagues prior to getting called up to the big club and play in the show one day.