Preferred way to store cards long-term?

[earthprime]

I have a collection of about 3000 post-1980s cards that I kept in a binder with sheets, so I could flip through and admire them. After 15+ years, I found many of the cards sticking to the plastic and risking damage.

Is there a preferred method for long-term storage? Should I use penny-sleeves for every card and store he cards in containers that hold 500 cards (abandoning the binders). Curious what everyone else does for your collections.

[mrmopar]

Sounds like maybe they were early plastic sheets. Not sure of the year that they started to be more like the modern sheets, but the older ones I have seen are thicker, a little more rigid and yellow and have that melting plastic look where they stick together or stick to cards inside. Junk those ASAP if that is the case. I'm assuming the never, better sheets have had no issues noted since they were rolled out.

Someone with better knowledge of plastics could dive into this deeper, but my understanding is that newer hobby products were made with archival needs in mind (specific to long term storage of paper products within them), where as older sheets did not.

[mrmopar]

As for best method, that depends on your needs. Some people sleeve up every card (soft only, soft and toploader or other hard cases), others use albums/pages and others use storage boxes. 3K worth is not a lot of space no matter which way you go, so pick the one that allows you to enjoy the cards best.

[Exhibitman]

if they're not valuable, I'd go with the 9 pocket polyethylene sheets like Ultra Pro. If they are somewhat valuable and condition sensitive, I use penny sleeves inside Card Saver I. If they are really valuable I might go to Mylar holders. My vintage and vulnerable cards (paper cuts, etc.) are exclusively in Mylar holders; that's the standard material for Library of Congress preservation.