How Do You Store Your Carts?

[+cvga]

Just wondering how others store their carts. I like to play the games so I try not to put them back in the boxes once I remove them. However, loose carts do not stack nicely like Atari carts. I had smaller stackable trays that fit carts fairly well that I had purchased at The Container Store. I was pleased with that solution for awhile but my carts now take more space than the trays permit and I can no longer find trays so I started searching for a better solution. I found these ink stamp holders which are almost the perfect size for carts (and overlays if you wanted to store them with the carts). I'm pretty pleased with these so I thought I'd share.

 

 

Here's the 125 loose. The open spots are Championship Tennis, Super Cobra, and Tutankham. Championship Tennis was in my Intellivision when I took this picture (sorry) and my Super Cobra and Tutankham carts are both sealed. I have a loose Super Cobra coming. If anyone has a Tutankham (loose or complete but open) they want to sell, I'd be very interested since I'm not planning on opening mine.

 

 

Would love to see pictures of your storage. I'm going to do the same for my homebrews but haven't decided on how to sort them yet. I like alphabetically but that would require a bunch of shuffling every time I add a new cart, especially if it's early in the alphabet. Suggestions?

[Humblejack]

I made these 4 boxes many years ago and still use them. The last one is made from a 10 ream paper box. It has a lid also.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jaxivision]

On the closet floor.  In a mangled mess.

[+cvga]

7 hours ago, Humblejack said:

I made these 4 boxes many years ago and still use them. The last one is made from a 10 ream paper box. It has a lid also.

 

I love the look of those wooden boxes. I'm assuming those are all label variants rather than doubles. Nice. 

 

BTW - I noticed one homebrew out of all of those carts. It's one of my favorites!

[mr_me]

I use hockey card boxes to store loose cartridges.  If the cartridge has a gatefold box, the cartridge goes back there.

[+cvga]

11 minutes ago, mr_me said:

I use hockey card boxes to store loose cartridges.  If the cartridge has a gatefold box, the cartridge goes back there.

Somehow I never considered trading card storage boxes (probably because I kept all mine in a shoe box as a kid). Great idea.

[+DZ-Jay]

1 hour ago, mr_me said:

I use hockey card boxes to store loose cartridges.  If the cartridge has a gatefold box, the cartridge goes back there.

Hi, @mr_me,

 

Would you mind posting a picture?  I am not familiar with hockey card boxes (or any trading card boxes), and would like to see how they look and fit.

 

Personally, I use some of those old “wood-grain-looking” cartridge storage boxes from the 1980s.

 

My first post-childhood Intellivision purchase came with a boxed Master Component, a bunch of boxed games, a slightly smaller bunch of loose cartridges, and the storage container — all in very good condition.

 

Whatever cartridges didn’t fit in the container, I had stowed away in a cardboard box — until recently, when Rev gave me another couple of containers he got from an eBay lot.

 

Unfortunately, one of them does not work well for Intellivision cartridges (it’s more for Atari games), so I’m still looking …

 

I’ll post a few pix later today.

 

    dZ.

[+Gunoz]

I have a bunch stored in a wooden wine box from a trip to Napa 40+ years ago. Just happened to be the perfect size.

[mr_me]

4 hours ago, DZ-Jay said:

Hi, @mr_me,

 

Would you mind posting a picture?  I am not familiar with hockey card boxes (or any trading card boxes), and would like to see how they look and fit.

 

Personally, I use some of those old “wood-grain-looking” cartridge storage boxes from the 1980s.

 

My first post-childhood Intellivision purchase came with a boxed Master Component, a bunch of boxed games, a slightly smaller bunch of loose cartridges, and the storage container — all in very good condition.

 

Whatever cartridges didn’t fit in the container, I had stowed away in a cardboard box — until recently, when Rev gave me another couple of containers he got from an eBay lot.

 

Unfortunately, one of them does not work well for Intellivision cartridges (it’s more for Atari games), so I’m still looking …

 

I’ll post a few pix later today.

 

    dZ.

 

There are two types.  The one I'm using holds the cards sideways so you can't see the label, I modified it so you can.  The ones like in this photo will have the cartridge label forward and visible.  Hockey cards and Intellivision cartridges have almost the same dimensions.  These boxes have a little extra width so there's plenty of room.

[+DZ-Jay]

4 minutes ago, mr_me said:

 

There are two types.  The one I'm using holds the cards sideways so you can't see the label, I modified it so you can.  The ones like in this photo will have the cartridge label forward and visible.  Hockey cards and Intellivision cartridges have almost the same dimensions.  These boxes have a little extra width so there's plenty of room.

Wow, that looks like a great alternative.  Thanks for sharing.

 

I went once to The Container Store and couldn’t find anything appropriate that would fit cartridges snuggly.

 

    dZ.

[+cvga]

1 hour ago, DZ-Jay said:

 

I went once to The Container Store and couldn’t find anything appropriate that would fit cartridges snuggly.

 

    dZ.

 

They aren't amused when you ask them if they carry Intellivision cartridge holders either

[+the1hatman]

I generally keep my carts in the original boxes. I still play them but I have extra carts for the more common games so I don't have to keep messing with their boxes and putting extra wear on them. Otherwise, they live in an old china cabinet I restored:

 

The drawers in the lower center are felt lined and have dividers that fit loose carts nicely. I believe these were originally for silverware:

 

My current solution for the games I am playing through are the amazing cart holders Caleb Garner makes. I have 2 racks of 10, one for homebrews and another for the calssic games I play regularly:

 

I seriously love the racks you found though, cvga. That's an awesome way to display the 125 in cart form and still has easy access for gameplay.

 

[+DZ-Jay]

Pixies, as promised ...

 

 

 

In this last one, the carts are crammed into the slots rather snug, and can be hard to take out.

 

I like the drawer design, but it is not very useful to me.  I'd be willing to give it away to a more desiring home ... just send me a PM.  

 

    dZ.

[+DZ-Jay]

47 minutes ago, the1hatman said:

I generally keep my carts in the original boxes. I still play them but I have extra carts for the more common games so I don't have to keep messing with their boxes and putting extra wear on them. Otherwise, they live in an old china cabinet I restored:

Oh, that's a nice collection!

 

I also keep my boxed games in their original boxes.  Here is my collection:

 

(The various LEGOs are just squatters waiting for me to find a spot for them ...)

My duplicates go on another shelf in the same cabinet:

(With more LEGO squatters ...)

 

The bigger stuff is in the drawers and lower compartments:

 

That is my "gaming" cabinet.  It has a place for everything, and everything in its place.

 

Even my Pac-Man Arcade 1Up (a Christmas present from my lovely wife):

 

... And, of course, my built LEGO kits:

 

 

 

 

 

They all fit together on the top shelf (actually, a ledge built onto the wall originally) ...

 

 

There you go.

 

  dZ.

 

[+Gunoz]

53 minutes ago, DZ-Jay said:

(The various LEGOs are just squatters waiting for me to find a spot for them ...)

I've been tempted to order one of the custom launch platforms for the Saturn V, so it could be proudly upright as nature intended.

[+DZ-Jay]

2 hours ago, gunoz said:

I've been tempted to order one of the custom launch platforms for the Saturn V, so it could be proudly upright as nature intended.

Oooh, I've seen those, but ... I don't think my wife would let me take more of the living room space!

 

   dZ.

[8bitwidgets.com]

On 5/7/2023 at 11:48 PM, cvga said:

I'm pretty pleased with these

That's a great setup   

 

12 hours ago, the1hatman said:

seriously love the racks you found though, cvga.

right?  and thanks for the kind words.  If you ever wanted (or anyone for that matter) a vertical solution, I'd be happy to help out.   I only have handfuls of carts for each of my systems virtually all without boxes so I may at some point look to make some wall mountable pieces for each system.. 

 

My game room just shows the systems I have and a means to play them.  My profile pic is pretty much it though I have a few "new" systems in the mix since then.  

Edited May 9, 2023 by Caleb Garner

[Rickster8]

On 5/8/2023 at 3:36 PM, mr_me said:

 

There are two types.  The one I'm using holds the cards sideways so you can't see the label, I modified it so you can.  The ones like in this photo will have the cartridge label forward and visible.  Hockey cards and Intellivision cartridges have almost the same dimensions.  These boxes have a little extra width so there's plenty of room.

In Jersey we called these Monster Boxes.....  

[+BBWW]

I store my carts in the original packaging, I am not a barbarian!

[SiLic0ne t0aD]

I use a briefcase, which I store some of my Inty carts, overlays and spare controllers, etc in. I think it was originally a tool case. 👍

 

[Rickster8]

LOL, here's my fantastic method of Inty carts storage.... The very bottom drawer in my armoire clothes chest..... Right underneath my boxer briefs and T-shirts....