Protect · Pokémon

Protecting your Pokémon cards

Slip every card that matters into a soft sleeve as soon as you open it, and the most valuable into a toploader or a magnetic case. Keep the rest in a PVC-free binder with built-in pockets, upright, away from damp, heat and sunlight.

Create my binder Organizing your cards

Updated 1 November 2026 · Free · your phone and your computer

The size of Pokémon cards

Pokémon cards are standard size, about 63 × 88 mm: "standard" protection fits them. The small "Japanese size" sleeves are made for smaller cards: they are too narrow.

Protection, from simplest to sturdiest

Soft sleeve: A thin, clear, cheap sleeve: it protects from scratches and dust. The basics, before anything else.
Perfect fit sleeve: A very thin sleeve, exactly the card's size. It goes on first, then a normal sleeve over it: the card is closed on all sides.
Deck sleeve: Thicker, often with a coloured back: for playing and shuffling without damaging the cards.
Toploader: A rigid holder you slide an already sleeved card into. The 3 × 4 inch size (about 76 × 102 mm) is the most common.
Card saver: A semi-rigid holder, softer than a toploader: it's what most grading companies ask for when you send a card.
Magnetic case: A hard case closed by a magnet, to keep or display a precious card. Pick the right thickness: 35 pt for a standard card.
Graded card (slab): A card graded and sealed in a case by a grading company: the sturdiest protection.

The most expensive Pokémon cards right now

Cards like these deserve a toploader, a magnetic case or grading. Today's market price.

How to send a card for grading: the complete guide →

Binder: built-in pockets or rings?

Built-in pockets (side-loading)

The pages are fixed to the binder and the card slides in from the side: it doesn't slip out and less dust gets in. The safest choice for a collection.

Ring binder

Handy for adding or moving pages. But cards near the rings can get dented when you close it: prefer D-rings and good-quality pages.

PVC-free pages ("PVC free", "acid free"): PVC can damage cards over time.
One card per pocket, or two back to back for duplicates.
Don't overload: an overfilled page bends the cards.
A binder that closes well (zip or strap) keeps dust out.

Your real binder, online

Same layout (from 2×2 to 4×4), same order, a photo of your real cover. Photograph a whole page: each card takes its place on its own. You know where every card is without opening the binder.

Create my binder Online binder

Where to store: damp, light, heat

Damp: in a humid room, cards warp. Avoid the cellar, the garage and the bathroom.
Light: sunlight fades colours over time. Keep binders closed, away from windows.
Heat: never against a radiator, or in a car in summer.
Upright: store binders and boxes standing, like books, with nothing heavy on top.
In a closed box, desiccant sachets (silica gel) help against damp.
Never put a rubber band around a stack of cards: it dents the edges.

Storage boxes

For duplicates and commons: card-sized cardboard boxes, with dividers by set. For a deck: a deck box. Valuable cards, in toploaders, go upright in a separate box.

On gotem., every copy keeps its place: which binder, in a box, loose or graded. You find a card without opening everything.

Handling your cards

Clean, dry hands.
No drinks or food nearby.
A clean, flat surface.
The card held by its edges.
The sleeve before the toploader, never the other way round.

Frequently asked questions

What sleeve size for Pokémon cards?

Standard-size sleeves: Pokémon cards measure about 63 × 88 mm. "Japanese size" sleeves are too small.

Toploader or magnetic case?

The toploader to store a valuable card cheaply; the magnetic case to display it, sturdier and nicer. Either way, the card goes into a sleeve first.

Ring binder or built-in pockets?

Built-in pockets for a collection: the cards can't get dented by rings. Rings are still handy for reorganising pages.

Do you need a sleeve before the toploader?

Yes: it stops the card rubbing against the hard plastic when you slide it in, and protects it if you take it out.

How to keep my cards from curling?

Keep them away from damp and temperature changes, stored upright, without overfilled pages. A freshly opened card sometimes curls a little: leave it flat, in a sleeve.

Do PVC pockets damage cards?

They can damage them over time. Choose pages and sleeves marked "PVC free" or "acid free".

How to protect a card for shipping?

A sleeve, then a toploader or a card saver, wedged between two pieces of cardboard in a padded envelope, sent tracked.

Your binder, online too.

Recreate your real binder on gotem.: you know where every card is and what it's worth.

Create my binder

Other Pokémon guides

Release calendar Starting a collection Collecting with your kids Boosters, displays and boxes Organizing your cards Completing a set Collector's glossary