How to Safely Display Your Favorite Cards on a Shelf
By Sal Barry
We as collectors spend a lot of time seeking out the trading cards that we want. But do we spend any time enjoying the cards once we have them? It seems like once I got a card that I liked, it would be tucked away in a nine-pocket page or filed into a box, seldom to be seen again.
That is understandable, since exposure to light over a long period of time can cause cards to fade. But recently, I got into the wonderful practice of putting my favorite cards on display. Here’s how you can safely display your favorite sports or gaming cards to show off to your friends and family – or just to enjoy having in your collection.
You will need a few things to build your great-looking sports card display:
- Magnetic Card Holders – available in thicknesses from 35 points for standard cards, all the way to 360 points for super-thick jersey cards.
- Card Stands – these make it easy to stand your cards upright and will display your cards at a slight angle for optimal viewing.
- A shelf or display case to put your cards – it can be a single shelf or an entire bookcase. Or, you can get an enclosed display case, which will keep dust out.
- Plexiglass risers, Styrofoam blocks, or BCW Card Storage Boxes – to make “steps” for your cards.
First and foremost, put any cards you want to display in Magnetic Card Holders, which will protect your cards from Ultraviolet (UV) light and keep them from fading. BCW makes Magnetic Holders in varying degrees of thicknesses, from 35 points to 360 points. BCW even makes Magnetic Holders with Black Borders, which frame the cards nicely.
Once your cards are in Magnetic Holders, use Card Stands to make them stand up. These will display the cards at a slight angle, making them easier to view. BCW sells a variety of Card Stands, including simple one-piece Small Stands (pictured here), adjustable 2-Piece Stands, and black-colored Card Holder Stands, which would look great paired with Magnetic Holders with Black Borders. Use whichever stands you like best.
Although Magnetic Holders are intended to have the magnet at the top, I do the opposite and put the magnet at the bottom. This keeps the bottom of the card from getting covered a bit by the Small Card Stand. The Magnetic Holders also tend to sit a bit better on certain Card Stands when the magnet is at the bottom. And personally, I think it just looks better that way.
Putting the magnet on the bottom when displaying your cards will help them sit better on the stand.
To maximize the number of cards you can display, you will want to add some “steps” to tier the shelf space. A card in a Magnetic Holder on a Small Card Stand is only about 2” deep. Display cases can be around 6” deep, while a bookshelf is around 10” deep. Depending on the height of your shelf, you can usually go about two or three rows deep.
One suggestion is to use plexiglass risers, which can be purchased on eBay. These look great because they match the aesthetic of clear-bordered Magnetic Holders and clear Card Stands. You can even find sellers on eBay that will make plexiglass risers to your specifications.
Plexiglass risers look great – especially when put on a glass display shelf.
Another idea is to use Styrofoam blocks to make a few “steps” to put your cards on. These can be purchased at craft stores like Michaels, Joann Fabric, or Hobby Lobby. Styrofoam blocks can be easily cut to size with a box cutter or kitchen knife. To hide any rough edges – and to match the color of your display shelf – you can wrap the Styrofoam in adhesive shelf paper, which can be found at any craft or home improvement store.
Styrofoam blocks wrapped in contact paper is an inexpensive way to make steps for your display shelf.
A third option is to use white BCW Card Storage Boxes to make “steps.” These boxes come in a variety of sizes, so you can find one that is long enough to fit the size of your shelf. My suggestion is to fill the box with some common cards to give it weight so it doesn’t move when you position your cards and stands on top of it. If you stack these boxes two or three high, you can put double-sided tape between the boxes, or tape the boxes together so they stay together.
BCW Card Storage Boxes can serve as risers to add space to your display shelf.
Once you have your display ready to go, then comes the fun part: curating which cards to put on display. Do you showcase the best cards of your favorite player? Or rookie cards of today’s top stars? Or autographs of your home team’s star players? All of the above? There’s no right answer here, other than to show off and enjoy the cards of your choice.
Perhaps the only rule when deciding which cards to display is to have fun doing it!
And like any good museum, you will want to rotate which cards you have on display and which ones are stored away. Even though Magnetic Holders protect against UV light, it is still best to not leave your cards out on display indefinitely. So, every now and then – perhaps the start of the season – change up which cards are out for the world to see. It will keep your display looking fresh, and you may rediscover a gem you forgot you had.
How do you display your favorite cards? Post a photo on X (formerly Twitter) and tag @bcwsupplies, or on Instagram and tag @bcw_supplies. We’d love to see what creative ideas you’ve come up with.
Sal Barry is the editor of the hockey collectibles site Puck Junk and the host of the Puck Junk Podcast. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.