How to organize a Pokémon card binder

A binder shows off a collection and makes it easy to see what you have. How you sort it depends on what you collect.

Ways to sort a binder

• By set, in number order. The classic way to complete a set: one pocket per card, empty pockets showing what’s missing. Use the set’s card list for the order.
• Master set binders. The same, with a pocket for each printing (normal and reverse holo side by side). See what a master set is.
• By Pokédex number. One card of each Pokémon, from Bulbasaur (#001) on: a Pokédex binder. The Pokédex lists every Pokémon with its cards.
• By Pokémon. Every card of a favorite, like every Charizard card.
• By artist. Many collectors follow an illustrator’s work across sets: see Pokémon card artists.
• By rarity. A binder of the rarest pulls, like Special Illustration Rares.

Choosing a binder

Many collectors prefer binders with pages built in (often 9 or 12 pockets a page) and pockets that load from the side, so cards don’t slide out. Ring binders can press on the cards nearest the rings, so many collectors avoid them for valuable cards.

Keeping cards safe

• Sleeves: a soft sleeve protects a card’s surface and edges, in a binder pocket or out of it.
• Rigid holders: valuable cards are often kept in a sleeve inside a rigid top-loading holder, or graded and kept in their slab.
• Light and damp: keep binders out of direct sunlight, which can fade cards, and away from damp, which can warp them.
• Not too tight: a binder packed past its capacity can bend the cards in it.

Track what’s in each binder

In the Holofile app, each copy you own can have a location, like a binder or a box, so you can find any card and see what each binder holds. The Pokédex binder in Explore tracks one card per Pokémon. See Track set completion.