Toploaders vs Magnetic Card Holders

Trading card collectors understand the significance of preserving their prized possessions. Both toploaders and magnetic card holders serve the same purpose, but both offer unique advantages. Here, we'll delve in to how each product protects your cards and help you figure out which is best for your use case.

Toploaders

Toploaders have been a staple in the trading card scene for years. They're rigid plastic holders with an open top, providing a clear view of your card whilst protecting them from damage.

Toploaders have a few main benefits:

  • Cost: toploaders are great for most use cases because of how cheap they are. At Heirloom, we sell packs of 25 toploaders for under £5.
  • Ease of use: toploaders are very easy to use - just put your card in a soft, polypropylene sleeve and insert!
  • Convenience: because of how cheap they are, toploaders are a really convenient option for all collectors

With that being said, toploaders have some drawbacks:

  • Flexibility: although toploaders are a great physical shield for your cards, they're still able to be bent and flexed.
  • Lack of sealing: toploaders have a wide open top section which can cause issues with dust and moisture

Magnetic Card Holders

Magnetic card holders (also known as one-touch cases) are a more premium option over toploaders. These holders are typically a lot sturdier and open from the front via a hinge mechanism, with the top held in place with magnets. This makes them a far more attractive option for displaying purposes.

Magnetic holders have a few distinct advantages over toploaders:

  • Full encapsulation: because magnetic holders open from the front and are held in place with strong magnets, they're far less vulnerable to dust & moisture damage;
  • Elegant presentation: magnetic holders are designed to highlight the card inside, and they tend to mimic the designs of graded slabs to give off a cleaner look;
  • Premium feeling: magnetic holders are made from stronger (and heavier!) clear plastic, giving them a glass-like look. The weight feels better in your hands, too.

With that being said, they're not a perfect solution:

  • Cost: magnetic card holders are an order of magnitude more expensive than toploaders, meaning they're designed less for storage purposes and more for display purposes;
  • Hard to use: because magnetic holders use a strong magnet to hold the parts together, they can be quite hard to open. Since they're also designed to "hug" cards tight, it can be a battle trying to get a card to fit properly inside too.

Which is better?

Both toploaders & magnetic holders do their job brilliantly by providing a strong physical barrier to any damage your cards may face. Ultimately the answer lies in your own tolerances: magnetic holders will be more effective, but are bulkier and far more expensive. On the other hand, toploaders are inexpensive but lack the premium feel that magnetic holders give.

We would generally recommend using magnetic holders to store your "grails" - your personal favourite (or most expensive) cards, and use toploaders for all of your other hits. Toploaders also have the benefit of working with some toploader binders, so you can stay organised with the most protection.