Oh, Thank you for your response.
Just an A4 sleeve? 
But how do you make the postcards stay in place like you show in your pictures?
I attach a tiny piece of double-sided tape onto the postcards!
2 Likes
Oh, I number them like that, too 
I also have the official cards stored in the order they are received. I have (so far) 3 boxes that then have smaller boxes in them that hold about 50 cards each. Each of the bigger boxes will hold between 700 to 1000 cards. The oversized cards are just lying on top of all the little boxes.
Not sure what I do after card number 2500, but since I am still at 400 and change, I have a while to think about it.
The cards from the Forum (Round Robins, lotteries) and the direct swaps are another matter. Right now they are just in one big chaotic-but-happy plastic tub, and I sift through looking at them from time to time. I am eventually going to order those by theme, by country or by Round Robin category - still thinking about it.
All cards are scanned and well organized on my computer.
PS - added to answer @rilobilly question - my cards to be sent are in two big tubs, in alphabetical order. (Ex: Animals, Bicycles, Coffee, Elvis…) I have tried twice to create a catalog on my computer for them, but didn’t keep it up to date very well.
PPS - are there any P/Cers on here that have thousands of cards? I’m curious about how your storage system has evolved?
4 Likes
I’m fairly new to the whole thing so I "only"received 10 cards so far, but the most recent ones I keep on my side of the notes wall in our kitchen, and the others I store in a book shaped box 
11 Likes
I keep mine sorted in photo boxes separated between US cards and international ones!
My international box is sorted alphabetically by country, with a special tab in the front for strawberry cards, since I decorate with them 
10 Likes
I assume this might improve with time, since I’m fairly new at Postcrossing, but currently, this is my Postcrossing Album.
It features clear pages that showcase both sides of each postcard, along with dedicated slots for descriptions.
The postcards are arranged chronologically by their arrival date, making it easy to browse and share with family and friends. This organization also allows for quick comparison with the digital version on the website if more information is needed.
So far, what everyone seems to enjoy most are the messages from people from all around the world—those unique personal touches often outshine even the beautiful postcard images.
The Postcrossing Album
Each card has its own info sheet, where it is numbered and accompanied by a brief description, making it easy to identify its origin and any special details, such as whether it’s a Maxicard or sent by a top Postcrosser. For instance, in the image, you can see that card #35 was sent by the Top US Postcrosser @Shelleh, who at the time was the country’s #1 in distance traveled and #2 in number of cards sent.
Ideally, I’ll include additional details on these info sheets, such as the illustrator, producer, series, year of printing, and other relevant information about the card. While you can usually find this information on the back of the postcard, flipping the page over to check can be a bit cumbersome, especially when sharing the cards with others. Displaying this information on the info sheets allows you to appreciate the card’s details while viewing the front. Plus, when you do turn the page, your focus can naturally shift to enjoying the message, stamps, and cancellation marks without distraction.
Being a binder, it also allows to accommodate letters, as you can see in the image above (the letter is the next page showing through the current one).
For larger postcards, I use 5x7" clear sleeves. Notice how the info pockets change size and shape too.
It can also accommodate longer cards like this Star Wars one.
The Sleeves
Currently, I use two types of sleeves. So far I can accommodate all the postcards in these.
Clear three 4x6" pockets
Clear two 5x7" pockets
New Postcards for Sending
I don’t keep a stock of postcards to send. Instead, I prefer to get postcards at the places I visit and send them from there, as that, to me, captures the essence of postcard sending—showing where you are and sharing a bit about the place. However, I do have a few extras from past trips and some from popular collections (e.g., FOTW, MOTW) for postcrossers who specifically request them. I store these in a small 5x7" photo album:
The Complete Postcrossing Setup:
A Modern Approach to Collecting: Digital and Physical
Even though Postcrossing’s main goal is connecting people from all around the world—something I wholeheartedly agree is its greatest value—it has also, almost inadvertently, created an amazing secondary experience: a unique system of collection. This dual method, encompassing both digital and physical elements, mirrors each other in a fascinating way.
It’s similar to how NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) work with works of art. Each postcard ID acts as a Digital Certificate for a collectible item—the postcard itself. For a collector, this is a dream come true. Each item is unique and identifiable from the moment it’s created, making every Postcrossing account a one-of-a-kind, unreproducible collection, with its very own digital catalogue (the “received” wall or list).
This is why I prefer to organize my postcards chronologically, to mirror the digital collection accurately and preserve the original order of registration. It’s a way to cherish both the connections made and the unique collection that grows with each exchange.
23 Likes
I love getting mentioned! I feel so special. That’s my mushroom card that I sent. 
I have too many cards to keep in a album like that but I love the accessibility. I wish I could few the ones that I have loved over the years like that in a book.
I keep mine organized by country and in containers. I used to keep them in vintage vanity cases but found that they didn’t accommodate the sizes and amounts. I may need to go through and pick some of my favorites to put in an album like this. I love the organization.
4 Likes
This is brilliant! I wish I had seen this when I first started. Now pondering how I can go back and reorganize all my cards to be like this.
3 Likes
OOooh I love this! Where did you find the Postcrossing binder and sleeves? I don’t even know what to call them…plastic sleeves? 
1 Like
Hello @QBert, the binder I bought on Etsy, and the sleves on Amazon.
For bigger collections, maybe a bigger binder that could accommodate 4-pocket sleeves could be better for saving space.
So I have been trying unsuccessfully to make the graphic you use in your top right quadrant. The one that is a tiny image of the page and you highlight in black the location of each card on the page. Does that make sense? Did you find that image somewhere or are you just more computer savvy than me?
2 Likes
I am wondering the dimensions of the paper bc I bought the same inserts Only so many of my what should be 4x6 cards are a teeny tiny bigger and not fitting into the slots and it’s very frustrating. They look funny in 5x7 slots. 
1 Like
Well I ordered mine and they should arrive tomorrow so I guess I shall see. I spent today making sure all my postcards had photos on p.c. and put them (my actual postcards) in order chronologically so I can start loading them tomorrow. Sure beats cleaning the house!
2 Likes
I display mine on a cork board shortly after they arrive. The arrangement of cards on the cork board is always changing and it gives me something nice to look at when I’m at my desk. (Can you tell a lot if time has passed between the two photos?) After a while on the board, they are sorted by continent in an organizing bin.
11 Likes
Hello @QBert,
I created those graphics myself, but I’ll make it easier for you! Below are the sheets for both sleeves that you can download, modify, and print:
Pro Tip: Don’t create the info for the sheets by hand—that’s too much work! Instead, copy your Received List and paste it into ChatGPT (it’s free). Ask it to format the information for each postcard as it appears on these sheets (you can provide an example), or whichever format you prefer, and to number them.
ChatGPT will handle the entire job for you! Then, you just need to copy and paste each entry. There might even be a more straightforward way where ChatGPT can create the outlines for you to print directly, but I haven’t tried that yet.
Hello @wmiz77,
The sleeves I use are:
For the Fabmaker sleeves, which fit 4x6 postcards, you’ll notice that the second (left) slot is slightly narrower than the right slot. So, place your narrower cards in the left slots. If a postcard is too wide for both slots but too narrow for the 5x7in sleeve, place it in the top pocket.
You don’t need to be strict with the order you place them in because they’re already numbered on the info sheets. For example:
Notice here how we have postcards 34, 35, and 37. The #36 postcard is a 5x7in that went into a previous 5x7in sleeve.
Notice how the #36 is next to the #30. They’re the closest 5x7" postcards in the order. As long as you have the numbers on the info sheets, they are perfectly identifiable and will follow a logical order.
You can experiment with other brands of sleeves as well. I just picked these for the info sheet pocket.
If you need any more help, feel free to send me a PM. I wouldn’t want to bore others with these details. 
8 Likes
Wow, that’s amazing, I never thought to do info cards. I guess I’ll be procrastinating wildly with this now.
2 Likes
Wow!!! Wow!! This is dream come true!! I want this 
1 Like
