Guides to collecting Pokémon cards

Updated October 24, 2026

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• The complete guide to collecting Pokémon cards in binders

  How I collect Pokémon cards in a set binder and a Pokédex binder, and where the checklists live.

One question each

• How I organize a Pokémon binder

  Nine-pocket and four-pocket pages, set-number order, and Pokédex order, the way I actually sort a binder.

• What to do with bulk Pokémon cards

  Bulk fills the binders. I sort by set, then by the empty species line, and I keep the rest.

• How I complete a Pokédex binder

  One card of each species, from #001 through the end of generation 9, filled from bulk.

• Gen 1 checklist: all 151 original Pokémon

  How I collect the original 151 Pokémon in one binder, using the generation checklist and the Base set list.

• How I read a Pokémon card

  How I find the collector number, the set symbol, and the rarity mark so a bulk pile can be sorted.

• Protecting Pokémon cards without a fuss

  Sleeves, binder pages, and ordinary storage for a collection that gets opened, including a child's binder.

• Donating Pokémon cards to children

  I donate a finished binder to a child, through a hospital, a shelter, or an after-school club, and I write down the date.

• Pokémon card sets in order

  The series and sets in the public card list, from Base in 1999 through the newest series, with a link to every set page.

• Starting a Pokémon collection with a child

  How I start one binder with a child: one job, bulk cards, sleeves, and permission to stop.