Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 6: Choosing your organizational method
• Method 2 of 6: Per set
• Method 3 of 6: On evolution
• Method 4 of 6: By national number
• Method 5 of 6: By type
• Method 6 of 6: On rarity
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

If you play the Pokémon card game and follow the Pokémon catchphrase "Gotta catch 'em all", you may have collected quite a few Pokémon cards! Organizing your Pokémon cards makes it much easier to find a card when you are looking for it. An organized collection will also help you know what cards you have so you don't accidentally buy a card you already have. Getting your Pokémon cards in order all you need is proper storage, organization, and a little time.

To step

Method 1 of 6: Choosing your organizational method

1. Organize your collection with boxes for decks. This system works well if you are still building your collection and have collected most of your cards in decks. Simply place your cards in an empty card game box and place the box in a convenient place, such as on a shelf or in your closet.
   • Since you've probably started changing your decks to be stronger while playing, you may want to name or label your decks so you know exactly what's in each box. For example, you can stick a piece of tape on a box and write something like "Psychic Pokémon Deck" on it.
2. Use a binder. There are many card game collections similar to the Pokémon TCG (trading card game). This often uses folders, and this way of organizing could be useful for you. This format provides a clear overview of your cards and is easy to manage. It will also protect your cards from damage such as bending and mold.
   • These trading card folders are often filled with plastic inserts with pockets for your cards. You can purchase such inserts from your board game / hobby stores.
   • You can also use tabs to easily find something in your folder. Tabs are available for purchase at most office supply stores.
   • You can make your own simple tab by attaching a piece of tape to the front and back of your plastic insert sleeve so that some extra tape can stick out of your folder. For example, write a title on the tab, such as: "Type: Grass".
3. Store cards in a card tray. This method is best for serious collectors who have thousands of cards to keep track of. A card tray is usually a large, wooden piece of furniture filled with narrow drawers in which to place cards. You can find cubbies at flea markets, through a garage sale, eBay, CraigsList, and antique stores, although antique ones can be expensive.
   • If you buy your card catalog used, you should inspect it carefully. Many of these maps are old and you may need to spend some time or money restoring them to keep your maps safe and secure.
4. Store cards individually in storage boxes. You can buy narrow boxes designed to hold cards in many game / hobby shops, stationery stores or online. There are also larger boxes that are specially designed for storing trading cards and are useful for your Pokémon cards. After you organize your cards, you can store your collection in these boxes and label each box according to your organization system. For example, you can label one box, "Fighting Type" and another "High HP Pokémon".

Method 2 of 6: Per set

1. Look for the symbol. Most Pokémon cards have a symbol at the bottom right corner of the Pokémon picture. This symbol indicates the set. Some examples of set symbols include a flower (Jungle set, # 2), a hollow star (Neo Genesis set, # 8), and the letter "R" (Team Rocket set, # 5). Sets are usually released four times a year.
   • If you have purchased cards from Pokémon International, or own cards from this series, the set information will be on the bottom right of your card. These symbols can be small and easy to miss - so watch carefully!
2. Arrange your cards based on the set symbol and number. It will be easy for you to group all matching symbol cards, but for further organization you will need to arrange by set number. Each set has a specific number of cards, and each card is numbered within the set. This will help you organize your cards even more precisely.
   • You may need to use an online card directory to determine the position of each card in a set. Many directories set up online will first ask you to choose the set category (such as Base, Aquapolis and Jungle) before linking you to the card number directory.
   • The base set of the first cards released in English have no symbol. You can collect and arrange these cards based on HP (hit points) or in alphabetical order.
3. Look for "secret, rare" cards. Within sets there are sometimes special cards that have a number higher than the set directory lists. These are secret rare ("secret rare") cards. For example, you see a card that is 63/62. This is not a mistake, but means you have a special card.
4. Group promotional cards. You will notice that some of your cards only have a card number and not a set number. This indicates that the card is a promotional card, also known as a "promo". These are often given as a bonus to players when they buy a deck.
   • While promotional cards don't have a set number, you can still organize them based on the card number or date of publication. You will have to look up this information online as there are many promotional cards, each with a different number and release date.
   • Also watch out for "black star promos". These are extra special cards that are produced especially for promotional events.
5. Place cards in your storage box or folder. Depending on the chosen storage method, this can be a folder, a box or even a card tray (cabinet). Now that your cards are organized by set, you can place them in your method of storage to complete your organization.
   • If you are using a map, make sure the card slots are large enough for your Pokémon cards. Some insert sleeves are designed for smaller cards, and trying to place your Pokémon cards in here may cause your cards to bend or deform in some other way.
   • When arranging your cards by set, consider the set symbols and number, even if the Pokémon on the card appears to be the same. Charizard from the Dragon Frontiers set and Charizard from the Power Keepers set have different numbers, images and abilities.

Method 3 of 6: On evolution

1. Collect each evolution in a separate stack. Most Pokémon evolve into a stronger form when a certain level is reached or when a special item is used. Go through your Pokémon cards and choose all Pokémon that are in the same evolutionary series. Start with the lowest evolution Pokémon and merge all the higher evolutions. This will likely create a lot of stacks depending on the size of your collection.
   • While many Pokémon evolve, some don't. All Pokémon without evolution can be grouped.
2. Organize your evolutionary groups. Now that the maps are grouped by evolution, you need to think about how you want to organize these groups. You could alphabetize your evolutions, or group them by type, keeping all similar evolutions together.
   • Even if you categorize evolutions by type, it can still be difficult to easily find evolutions within the type grouping. To further organize your like sets, you might want to alphabetize all the evolutions within like sets.
3. Put the cards in your folder, box or card tray. Place your cards in your folder, box or catalog according to your evolutionary order. To make sure your maps are easily accessible, you can create sections in your map, use separate boxes, or use different drawers for each category in which you have organized your evolutions.
   • For example, if you use card boxes, you can keep all your fire evolutions together and label the box "Fire Types". If you've chosen to use a folder, you can use tabs to separate types from each other.

Method 4 of 6: By national number

1. Find the national Pokédex number. Even if you're not a fan of the animated series or the Pokémon video games, you probably know that in the Pokémon universe, trainers have a special device called a Pokédex. The Pokédex is a type of Pokémon dictionary, and it assigns a number to each Pokémon. You can use this number to organize your Pokémons.
   • In the Pokémon TCG, you can sometimes find the national number in the information below the photo of the Pokémon card or in the lower left corner of the card. Some cards do not have a national Pokédex number indicated.
2. Search online for the national number, if necessary. There is an online Pokédex, as well as apps for the computer and mobile devices, and you can use any of these to search for national numbers of the Pokémon you want to classify. You could speed up the sorting process by writing down each Pokémon card you own, looking up the number, and writing the number next to the name.
3. Organize cards by national number. Organizing your cards by Pokedex number is especially helpful if you are a card collector. The numbers make referring to your collection simple and clear. For active Pokémon TCG players, this may not be the best option for building and playing decks.
4. Save your cards based on the national number. Now that your cards are ordered by Pokédex number, all you have to do is place them in order in the box or folder. You can group cards of which you have multiple copies, or put duplicates in the same card pocket on your plastic insert, if you're using a folder.
   • You have to take into account that multiple cards in the same plastic bag in your folder can damage cards. If the condition of the card is important to you, you should never have more than one card per plastic card slot in your folder.
   • You can leave space in your storage space for cards you know you don't have yet. This makes it easier to add any new cards you get.

Method 5 of 6: By type

1. Arrange cards by type. The basic Pokémon types are: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Electric, Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Grass, Ground, Ice, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel, and Water (insect, dark, dragon, electric, fairy , fight, fire, fly, ghost, grass, ground, ice, poison, clairvoyant, rock, steel and water). However, there are also special types and hybrids, for example flies / ice. Collect all Pokémon of the same type in one section each.
   • Organizing by type is one of the most popular ways to organize cards for active players of the Pokémon TCG. This is because you can easily search your collection for useful type combinations.
2. Arrange your cards within the types. Even after arranging your cards by type, if you have a lot of cards, it will be difficult to navigate your type groups without sorting things out a bit more. Create a subcategory within your type groups. Two options are to arrange the cards alphabetically or by national number.
3. Archive your cards in a storage folder or box. You will need to determine the order in which you will store your sorted Pokémon types. You may want to do this alphabetically, "Bug" coming first, then "Dark", "Dragon", and so on. If you are an active player, you may want to place your most used type first, followed by your second most used type, and so on.

Method 6 of 6: On rarity

1. Group your cards by rarity. Organizing cards by rarity is another good method for collectors, as it organizes cards by relative financial value. This makes it easier for you to estimate the value of your card collection. Collect all cards of similar rarity in groups.
   • Symbols in the lower right corner of the map indicate its rarity. A circle represents the common cards, diamonds for unusual and stars for rare.
2. Further arrange your rare cards in groups. You can use an alphabetical, national Pokédex number or HP (hit point) system to further organize your rare card groups. If you're a player and a collector, you may find that organizing your rare card groups by type, then by number or alphabetical order works best.
3. Put your cards away. You will probably want to separate the folders, boxes, or drawers to keep different rarity groups separate. An alternative to this would be to store your cards in your folder or box and then use tabs to create sections for the different types of rare cards.
   • Even if you use box sleeves, you may want to keep your rare cards handy so you can show them to friends and other collectors. To keep your rare cards visible, you can put your rare cards in a folder with plastic inserts, with pockets for your cards.
   • To further protect rare cards, you can put them in a special plastic case designed to keep rare cards pristine. These protectors measure 64mm by 89mm, and can be found at many hobby and toy stores.

Tips

• Buy card holders (card sleeve) if necessary. These protect your cards and can be used for your rare cards or decks that you don't want to damage. Depending on the holder, it may also be easier to shuffle your deck. Many different league players and elite collectors will always put their decks in such a container and have extra for rare cards.
• If you don't want your duplicate cards, you can sell additional cards or exchange them for new cards. Local competitions at hobby or toy stores, or online swap websites are good places to try this.
• You can reuse your empty Elite Trainer boxes as cardholders. They are good for storing favorite cards, but not large collections. Collection cans are a good place to keep up to three decks and play mat / damage counters to take with you.
• After finding a rare card in a pack of cards, put it directly in the sleeve so that the card's condition remains as new. This will increase its value if you want to sell the card later.

Warnings

• Be careful when buying tickets online. Some cards are too high in value, and others can be counterfeits.
• Holographic cards can fade or be easily damaged with regular play. Consider using a plastic card case / protector to keep your holograms in good condition.

Necessities

• Pokémon cards
• Something to store the cards in (such as a folder, box, or card tray)
• Insert sleeves (for a folder: 64 mm by 89 mm)
• Separate card sleeves (optional)