Card sleeves and holders: which one does which job
Penny sleeves, inner sleeves, toploaders, semi-rigid holders, magnetic holders and team bags: what each is for, the sizes makers give, and what graders accept.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 7 min read
Card protection starts with a soft sleeve against the card. What goes over it depends on the job: a toploader for rigid storage and display, a semi-rigid holder for mailing and for grading submissions, a magnetic holder for showing off one card, and a team bag for grouping cards or holders and sealing them shut. Thick cards need a holder rated for their thickness, given in pt, such as 35 pt.
What does each sleeve and holder do?
| Holder | Its job | Material the maker gives | Size facts from the maker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penny sleeve | The first layer on any card, before a toploader, binder page or box | Polypropylene (BCW); non-PVC polypropylene, 45 microns thick (Ultra PRO) | BCW: 2 5/8 by 3 5/8 inches, made to fit inside a standard 3 by 4 inch toploader |
| Inner sleeve | A snug first layer when you double-sleeve | Acid-free material (BCW); 50 microns for Ultra PRO’s PRO-Fit inner sleeves | BCW: 64 by 89 mm, made to go inside a standard sleeve |
| Toploader | Rigid storage, display and handling | Rigid PVC with 12 mil panels (BCW); clear PVC (Ultra PRO) | BCW standard: cards up to 35 pt, 2 3/4 by 3 7/8 inches inside, opens on the short side |
| Semi-rigid holder | Mailing, and sending cards to a grader | Rigid PVC (BCW’s #2) | TAG requires 3 5/16 by 4 7/8 inches, such as a Card Saver I; BCW’s #2 is 2 7/8 by 3 3/4 inches inside, for older cards |
| Magnetic holder | Display and protection of one card | Polystyrene (BCW) | BCW: 35 pt holder is 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches inside; sizes run up to 360 pt |
| Team bag | Grouping cards or holders, and sealing them | Polypropylene (BCW) | BCW: 3 3/8 by 5 inches outside, with a 1-inch flap that carries an adhesive strip |
ONE-TOUCH is Ultra PRO’s name for a range of card holders, and TAG calls holders of this kind one-touch magnetic cases. The two are easy to mix up: a toploader is open at one end, while a magnetic holder is a two-piece case that closes around the card.
Which sleeve goes on first?
A penny sleeve, for almost every card. BCW sizes its standard sleeves for 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch cards to fit inside a standard toploader. Ultra PRO’s starter advice for baseball cards is the same pairing: a soft sleeve first, then a toploader for valuable cards.
An inner sleeve is for double-sleeving. BCW’s is 64 by 89 mm and made to sit inside a standard sleeve, and its penny sleeves pair with inner sleeves the same way. Against a card of 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches, about 63.5 by 88.9 mm, that leaves under a millimeter each way by Rip.fan’s arithmetic, so slide cards in and out slowly. Our guide to Pokémon card sizes and sleeves works through each layer’s fit in detail.
Toploader or semi-rigid holder?
Cardboard Gold, which makes Card Saver holders, set out the trade-off in a July 2024 blog post.
- Semi-rigid holders suit mailing, grading submissions and box storage. The snug fit leaves less room for dust, and the slimmer holders take less space in a box and cost less to ship.
- Toploaders suit protection against bends and tears, thick or oversized cards, and display. The extra room also makes loading easier, and the maker suggests a penny sleeve inside so the card does not shift.
The Card Saver I fits most sports and trading cards from 1952 to now. BCW sells a Semi-Rigid #2 with pre-1981 sports cards in mind, since older cards can differ slightly in size from modern ones.
What thickness do you need?
BCW puts standard cards at 20 pt to 35 pt. Those fit a standard toploader or a 35 pt magnetic holder. Thicker cards, such as memorabilia, relic and booklet cards, need thicker holders: BCW’s thick toploaders run from 59 pt to 360 pt, and its magnetic holders from 35 pt to 360 pt. A January 2026 BCW blog post suggests stacking coins to estimate a thick card: one dime is about its 59 pt size and one quarter its 79 pt size. Our guide to storing trading cards lists the sizes in between.
What do graders want in the box?
This is where the choice matters most, because TAG says cards that arrive in anything but semi-rigid holders may face processing delays and handling fees. CGC and TAG both ask for a semi-rigid holder, but TAG’s rules go further.
| CGC | TAG | |
|---|---|---|
| Against the card | A protective sleeve | A soft sleeve |
| Holder | A semi-rigid sleeve sturdy enough for CGC’s staff to take the card out safely | A 3 5/16 by 4 7/8 inch semi-rigid holder, such as a Card Saver I, which TAG requires |
| Bundle | Between two pieces of cardboard larger than the cards, with rubber bands not too tight | Between slightly larger pieces of cardboard, with painter’s tape or rubber bands |
| Order | As listed on the packing slip | As listed in the order |
TAG does not want screw-down holders, Ultra PRO Card Preservers, one-touch magnetic cases or toploaders, clear tape or stickers sealing the holders, or single cards in team bags.
CGC calls its packing steps suggestions and puts safe packing on the sender. TAG says clear tape or stickers on its holders, or single cards in team bags, can delay processing, and it will not take a card still sealed in another grader’s slab. Our guides to submitting to CGC, to TAG grading and to checking a card before grading cover the rest of the process.
When is a magnetic holder the right choice?
For a single card you want on show in a closed case. BCW’s 35 pt magnetic holder closes with a magnet and needs no tools, has recessed corners meant to keep the card’s corners and edges from touching the case, and opens with tabs on the top using a coin or a fingernail.
Two cautions apply.
- Fit. The 35 pt holder’s inside size is 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches, the same as a standard card. BCW sells a Pro-Mold 180 pt holder with a recess sized for an included sleeve, and the sleeve helps prevent surface marks on a foil card if dust was on it when the case closed.
- Light. An Ultra PRO accessory advertised with UV protection blocks up to 99.9% of UV-C and UV-B rays and some UV-A, yet the maker still advises keeping cards out of direct sunlight. BCW’s 35 pt magnetic holder makes no UV claim. Check the maker’s UV claim before you put a card on a shelf in the sun. Our guide to displaying trading cards covers frames and stands.
For binders, Ultra PRO makes 4-pocket pages for toploaders and for ONE-TOUCH holders from 23 pt to 100 pt. Our guide to building a card binder covers the rest.
What is a team bag for?
Grouping and sealing. BCW’s resealable team bag takes up to 35 standard cards or up to 5 standard toploaders, and magnetic holders up to 180 pt fit too. It closes with an adhesive strip on a 1-inch flap and can be opened and reused, and BCW pitches it for storage, card shows and mailing. Our guide to shipping raw cards covers the full packing method for a mailer. Leave single cards out of team bags when you send them to TAG.
Which setup suits which card?
- Everyday cards: a penny sleeve, in a box or a 9-pocket page.
- A card you want to protect: a penny sleeve, then a standard 35 pt toploader, or a thicker one for a thick card.
- A card headed to a grader: a soft sleeve, then a semi-rigid holder of the size the grader asks for.
- A card on display: a magnetic holder of the right thickness, with a UV claim on the maker’s page if light will reach it.
- A card you sold: a penny sleeve and a toploader, sealed in a team bag, then a mailer.
Our sleeve and supplies finder lists the holder sizes the makers give for each kind of card, and counts the toploaders and team bags a number of cards needs.
Before you choose a holder for an English Pokémon card, the card price lookup shows its NM market price. For a card that is already graded, our guide to storing graded cards picks up where this one ends, and the glossary explains a slab and a raw card.
Frequently asked questions
Which holder does PSA want for a grading submission?
A Card Saver I. PSA recommends it for sending cards in for grading, and PSA and most PSA dealers use it for their own submissions. It is slightly oversized so a card slides in and out easily.
How many Card Saver I holders come in a pack?
50. Cardboard Gold packs them 50 to a pack and 200 to a box, and sells them direct by the case of 2,000, which holds 10 boxes.
Why keep a UV-protected holder out of the sun?
Because a little UV still gets through, and the sun's heat can damage a card even where UV is blocked. Ultra PRO's UV protection also tapers off through UV-A into visible light, which keeps the card clear to see.