When I was a young scout, I collected many different things. Rocks, stamps, CD’s (some of you are too young to remember those!)… My favorite collection was that of my baseball and football cards. They were worth more than gold to me back then. I went through collected different brands of cards; Topps (with their somewhat edible gum that came in the packages), Fleer with their stickers to also collect. and the coveted Upper Deck. With hundreds of cards thrown into a shoe box to keep them safe, mom and dad introduced me to trading card protective sheets. These inexpensive sheets are designed for you to be able to see the front and back of your cards. They keep the cards clean and safe. They also work great in your Scout binder for your various awards and rank advancement cards. Cleaning the sheet is simple with a paper towel. Avoid water near your cards… paper and water is never a good combination with collection items. If the plastic sheet is too dirty or damaged, simply transfer your cards to a new sheet.

Some collectors go the extreme of only wearing fabric gloves when slipping their cards into the protective sheets. Me, my fingerprints are all over my collection from being a kid and freaking out when I opened a pack and a new Steve Young or Joe Montana card was in it.

If you are unable to get plastic sheets for your cards, in my opinion the next best thing is the shoe box. Don’t throw them in like I did and hope that someday they will eventually organize themselves. Take the time to place them neatly into the box. Organize them by team if desired. If they mean something to you, you will naturally take care of them.