Binder despair

I'm a binder guy.

Yes, I know I've uttered that exact phrase quite a few times prior on this blog, but I can't stress it enough. I am an absolute binder fanatic.

My very collecting roots lie with those trusty binders.

In the end, I guess that's why I've felt like such a cheater this week.

While I tried to fight it, a small part of me has been questioning my organizational system of choice lately. I didn't want to admit it, but it's true.

As I've mentioned in past posts, I am more backlogged now with sorting than I've probably ever been in the past. Trips to the card show and flea market will tend to do that. Not to mention the stacks of trade packages I've been getting lately.

Although the card show was more than a month ago, I'm only on the "P" section in my organization. I can see Willie Stargell's Diamond King face staring up at me right now from my unsorted stack of Pirates.

With finals week coming up fast, I'm questioning when I'll be able to get those cards put away.

As many of you probably know, finals don't leave a whole lot of time for hobbies.

Often times, binders and their components don't come cheap.

I've been in the market for a few new binders as of late. Overfilling is a huge no-no in my collecting universe, yet a few of my individual team collections are at risk of overstepping the line.

Whenever that happens, I usually split the team into two smaller halves, placing them into two different binders. The Rangers are probably the worst offender. I need to find a new binder for them, stat.

Trouble is, I don't have any spare ones at the moment.

Then, of course, we have those pesky pages.

I'm dipping into my "reserve" stash at the moment to keep up with my already-lagging sorting, something I don't often like to do.

As I've found, binders and pages often cost a pretty penny.

Which isn't ideal for a broke college student such as myself.

Of course, binders take up a great deal of real estate as well.

According to this afternoon's monthly check-up, I now have a grand total of 55 different binders in my room. Fifty-three of those are for individual teams, with some split into halves or even thirds.

One of the remaining two houses my Hoyt Wilhelm cards as well as my "keeper" game-used and autographs. The other contains my "old-school" defunct teams collection, comprising of my Browns, Colt .45s, Pilots, and Senators cards.

I showcased how I store these things in my very first post on this blog. I've added about a half-dozen new binders to my collection since then.

As you might guess, my binder-filled bookshelves are the single largest thing in my room at the moment.

With my ever-expanding collection, it's been getting harder and harder to store my cards in recent years.

So, yes, I'll admit it.

I've given a tiny bit of thought to simply chucking all my remaining, unsorted cards into one of those unsightly boxes as of late. Given that I still have ninety-six Phillies cards to put away, can you blame me?

On both a monetary and real estate level, it'd make sense.

Where am I going to find money for pages and binders?

How am I going to find room for all these cards in the future?

And, when the time comes to move into my own place, how much of a pain is it going to be to pack up all my binders?

They're certainly legitimate concerns.

I mean, I don't even...

Ah, who the heck am I kidding?

I love binders.

I absolutely adore them.

No matter how hectic things may get, I could never turn my back on them. No matter what.

I mean, just look at that display. Thurman Munson has rarely been shown in a greater light.

Sure, the slow sorting progression is a concern. But it's not like a race or anything. I'll put 'em away when I can. There's no rush.

True, binders and pages can cost a bit of money. Sometimes, though, I'll get lucky and find some on the cheap at a local flea market or garage sale. Plus, I already have a couple generous bloggers sending me their spare pages.

And, yes, binders do take up quite a bit of space. There's no denying that.

In the end, though, it's a small price to pay for what they bring to the table.

Without a doubt, binders are the greatest way to store a card collection.