How I Organize My Sports Cards

One of the first questions I get asked about sports cards is — how do I organize my sports cards collection?

Organizing my sports cards has been a game-changer for me, especially when it comes to selling. If you’re trying to sell on platforms like WhatNot, being unorganized is a disaster. Things move too fast, and not knowing what you have makes it impossible to keep up.

Once I organized my sports cards, everything changed. I knew exactly where everything was, and I could pull cards quickly without missing a beat.

Here’s how I organize my sports cards. While there’s no “one way” to do this, this system works perfectly for me. Hopefully, it’ll inspire you to create a method that fits your collection.

Start with Categories: By Sport

The first step is breaking everything down by sport. I keep separate sections for NBA, NFL, MLB, and other sports. This immediately helps me narrow things down. From there, I sort within each sport.

Inside Each Sport:

1. Boxes of Commons: These are base cards or non-rookie cards of lesser-known players. I sell these off in bulk or give them to local kids.
2. Rookies: Every rookie card goes into a designated box. These are always worth keeping separate. Each year I’ll go back through the rookies to see if anyone has become relavant. 1st Bowmans get their own box as well since thats the coveted baseball card.
3. Team/Player Boxes: I have boxes sorted by teams or individual players. For example, Mavericks cards go into a Mavericks box. Superstars and parallels within those teams get special attention.
4. Unique Sets: Cards from sets I love, like Topps Black Gold or Stadium Club, get their own dedicated box. These are for sets I’m passionate about and want to keep together.

Superstar System

Within each sport, I’ve identified 25-30 players I consider superstars. These players’ cards get their own rows in a box. For example, Luka Doncic has his own spot. Every Luka card I own goes there, whether it’s base, parallel, or an insert. Other players, like Bobby Witt Jr and Peyton Manning, get the same treatment.

This makes it super easy when someone says, “hey, do you have any Luka?” — I can pull the entire pile and show them. I can easily sell these as singles on WhatNot, list them on Ebay, or sell in player lots which people tend to love.

High-Value Cards

For cards valued at $10 or more, I use pelican cases. These are the cards I sell at shows or keep for trading. Here’s how I split them up:

• Raw Card Cases: One for each sport. Cards within this are alphabetized by player. Back to my Superstar system -> if I have a $10+ Luka card, he is going in the High-Value cases and not the Luka pile.
• Slabs: Graded cards go in their own case. I don’t deal with slabs often, but they’re important to keep safe and organized. I’ll talk more about my take on slabs in a future post.

Personal Collection (PC)

This is where the heart of my collection lives. My PC is for cards I’ll never sell. Well, “never” is a big word but for now — it’s who I’m collecting for myself and kids future. It’s a carefully defined group, including:

1. Michael Jordan: Every MJ card I can find.
2. LeBron James: Long-term hold despite my mixed feelings.
3. Victor Wembanyama: Collecting from day one for a legacy collection.
4. Patrick Mahomes: Future GOAT.
5. Tom Brady: Current GOAT.
6. Jerry Rice: GOAT wide receiver.
7. St. Louis Cardinals: Especially autographs or unique cards.
8. Hall of Fame Rookie Cards: One or two rookie cards of every HOF player or HOF potential player. Usually Prizm or Optic.
9. Cool or Memory Cards: Cards with personal meaning, like players I played against, cards with unique designs, or anything with a story behind it.

For my PC, I love to showcase these in my office. I have some of the coolest ones behind my desk on a showcase shelf. I also have a few toploader binders with the others. Then commons of these PC players just go in a player box. Soon, I’ll get pelican cases for each PC guy for better long term protection.

The Process on How I Organize My Sports Cards

The actual process of organizing my sports cards is simple but time-consuming. I go box by box, pulling a stack of raw cards. Then, I go through them card by card and decide where each one belongs in my system. Does it go into a team box? A superstar row? The rookie pile? Or is it a common card to sell in bulk?

This method keeps everything in order and helps me stay on top of my collection. When I need a card, I know exactly where to find it.

Once you do this once, you never have to “go back through them”. I can confidently say that everything in my commons box will “never have value” unless something crazy happens or I missed something.

Why Organizing Matters

If you’re serious about selling or even just maintaining your collection, organizing your sports cards is essential. It saves time, reduces stress, and makes the hobby so much more enjoyable. Whether you’re pulling cards for a show or just flipping through your personal collection, having a system in place makes everything easier.

So, how do you organize your sports cards? If you don’t have a system yet, give mine a try or tweak it to fit your needs. Trust me, it’s worth it.