Collecting Sorting Tips for a Large Collection?

[Draaka]

Ok so I am primarily a player, but me and my fiancée want to sort out all our commons and uncommons into a playset of each in a binder for easy hunting. The problem is how do we do this so we don't have to move dozens and dozens of cards around every time a set comes out?

So far we have thought about:

Colours, sub sorted by pokedex number. Problem with this is every time they make a new set everything has to be moved around again. Also doesn't deal well with cards that are example poison sometimes grass sometimes psychic. Also not useful if you want to build a gallade (for example deck) as the pokedex numbers from the two early forms are really far apart from the third form cause it's a different gen.

By sets, sub sorted into set number. Pros Solves some of the problems of new cards coming out, cons doesn't deal with reprints and stuff very well.

By pure pokedex number, again it's a massive issue whenever we get new cards.

Best thing I can think of is EX's and full arts at front then rares, trainers all at the back and commons and uncommon done by set order in the middle. This Makes it easy to trade and find stuff as long as you know what set it was in. Only problem is if you want to say look at all the pikachu in standard. Or all the zoroa in standard then it's kinda a pain.


Long story short, someone out there must have a great system for this? We have about eight thousand cards (at least) to sort so I want a system that works and we can stick with once we have put the man hours in.


Current state is Trainers (expanded and standard) in one folder (two play sets of each max) EX's promos and full arts in one folder, rares in another and commons and uncommon by colour order in tins and boxes.

 

[Athena]

Hah, funny you mention that, I'm in the middle of a very large sorting project myself.

Here's what I'm doing, if it's any help to you:

1) Sort all cards by set and then in numeric order within a set. Promos are grouped by era (so, for example, all XY Promos in one group, BW in another, HGSS in another, etc.) and then in numeric order when possible (such as black star numbers).
2) One each of all C/U/R goes into a binder, in set order, starting with Base Set and working all the way up to current releases. Promos for a given era are placed at the end of that era and before the next (so, HGSS, then HGSS promos, then BW, etc). For English sets and EBB, RHs also get bindered to keep them from getting scratched.
3) Any duplicate holos are also put into the binder, but placed at the end of its given set instead of in numeric order. This lets me easily know which holos I have spares of for trading purposes, and also keeps it easier to put new cards in if I happen to get more cards of a given set.
4) Anything higher than a holo (ex, Lv. X, Prime, EX, FA, other UR/SR, etc.) gets custom treatment. I actually have a separate mini binder (4 per page) for my Primes because I have a tonne of them. Others are kept sleeved and in toploaders.
5) Sealed promos are also kind of a special case. I leave them sealed and keep them together in a spare tin.
6) Remaining cards that haven't been bindered are primarily bulk, spare C/U, and non-holo R cards for English sets. These stay in order according to set and get boxed/tinned for storage.
7) The exception to rule 6 is Expanded/Standard trainers, which I keep separate from the other cards (but still organized by set), since they're more likely to be traded/sold than other bulk C/U cards.

 

[Elbow]

I generally sort my bulk by number unless if it is pre-BW cards. This is a good idea so that you can find stuff later and know how much of something you have. This also helps a lot when you want to sell bulk so you can get an actual number and not an estimate of C/UC/R. I also put RH cards at the front so I know where it is immediately if I am looking for it.