The Closet of Chaos is Now the Closet of Calm
Back in December, I wrote about how I did not have a good way to store my extra card supplies. I had half-full boxes of card pages, in all different sizes, that were just stuffed on a shelf in a closet. Other supplies like toploaders and soft sleeves were stashed wherever I could find room. It made locating and retrieving supplies difficult.
Heck, sometimes I even bought supplies that I already had enough of because I could not find them in the first place.
Well, little by little, I kept figuring out what to do with my “Card Closet of Chaos.” I started by putting all my pages in these 6-quart plastic bins I bought from Amazon.
I then turned my attention to the various bags and boards I had for magazines, art prints, and larger collectibles. Next, I organized the various card supplies like toploaders, soft sleeves, monster pads, and such. Finally, I organized the numerous stacks of 2-column shoe boxes.
Here is a before-and-after of my card closet:
And here is what I used to make this happen.
Track shelving that you can buy at Home Depot or Menards. These were installed a while ago, but I adjusted the shelves to make better use of the space.
Vtopmart brand 6-quart Plastic Storage Bins with Lids, purchased at Amazon. I used these to put my pages in because they neatly stack and you can see what’s inside.
Steralite Storage Bins 12-quart containers. I used three – one for magazine supplies, one for larger toploaders from 5″x7″ to 8″x10″, and one for midsize toploaders and sleeves for cards measuring 3″x5″, 4″x6″ and so forth. Really large toploaders (such as 11″x14″) are put next to these bins.
I also used a 28-quart Steralite Storage Bin for oversized bags and boards for books, smaller posters, etc.
To label these plastic storage totes – as well as many of my card boxes – I use my Dymo LetraTag label maker, which prints much nicer than I can write.
For normal-sized card supplies and for my hockey cards, I used BCW 2-column shoe boxes. I use these boxes because they are easy to lift and stack nicely. (I am SO done with using “Monster Boxes.”)
I organized 12 of these boxes using two BCW Shoe Houses. These are great because I can easily pull a box out without having to move the boxes on top.
Additional cards that I don’t look at often – such as boxes I take to card shows – were stacked off to the side. It is a bit of a chore if I need a box at the bottom, but I can still get to it pretty quick.
Rounding out my Card Closet are some Command Hanging Hooks to hang a few lightweight items. I like these because they just stick on – no nails or screws needed. I also used some random cardboard trays I got from the grocery store; these are the brown boxes on top of the Shoe Houses. I use these for random supplies that didn’t easily fit elsewhere.
Is this a perfect solution? No. This doesn’t address my biggest problem. Like many collectors my age, I have too many cards and a lot of supplies.
But at least I am organized enough now that if I need a toploader for a collectible measuring 6″x9″, magazine bags and boards for sports programs, or soft sleeves for a stack of insert cards, I know exactly where to look.
Likewise, whenever I get an order from my Buy Sports Cards storefront, I can quickly locate the cards I need to ship out.
What organization tips do you have? I’d like to know how you store your cards and various extra card supplies. Leave a reply, or hit me up on social media @puckjunk, and let me know.
Note: This article is an updated version of an editorial that originally appeared in Volume 4 – Issue 29 of the Puck Junk Newsletter. For stories like these, plus news and updates about hockey cards and collectibles, subscribe to the newsletter here.
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