Do I keep trading cards I've earned?

[Randver]

I've unlocked 4 trading cards for a game. I have 5 trading cards in my inventory ( same 4 I unlocked for badge and a duplicate). If I trade/sell a card in my inventory that I only have one of will it disappear from my badge progress? or once you've earned it do you keep it toward your badge?

[MoroseDragon]

You keep it.

[Neon]

if u trade or sell it its it wont be there u need 1 of each on u for the badge

[Randver]

If that's the case is there a way to "lock" them so they are removed from my inventory and will be used towards the badge?

I could see this becoming a mess trying to figure out what you can trade or sell once you've started unlocking cards from multiple games if the ones you need also show up in your inventory.

[Randver]

I had hoped there would be a way to use or lock a card so it would be only on my badge screen rather than both the badge and inventory screen. It would make it much easier to know what I can sell/trade and what I need to hang onto.

[NCPEREIRA]

OP, that makes no sense. And it is NOT messy as you said.

To craft a badge you need to have 1 of each card for that game. For example, there are 9 cards in the Team Fortress 2 collection, so you have to have 9 different TF2 cards.

If you do, you can craft the badge, if you don't, you can't. If you trade one of your cards away, you no longer have it.

Can't get easier than that...

[Saint Jimmy]

When you craft a badge, all the relevant cards are removed from your inventory. Up until this point you can trade/sell them, but any you do sell, you will lose the badge progress for and will have to obtain them again if you want to complete the badge.

[Randver]

I currently own 15 games with badges as they add more games that number will increase. If I get all the drops from those games that's 60 badges in my inventory and even more as I obtain others by trade or buying until the badge is completed.

If I want to trade/sell duplicates or ones that I don't need from already completed badges I'll have to sort through lots of badges in my inventory which to me is messy. I agree not a big deal if you own a couple games but for those of us who own lots of games a use or lock feature would be nice.

[Thordred]

Cards can only be used to craft a badge when you have a complete set of them. Once you've used them they're gone from your inventory... they cease to exist.
If you don't use them to craft badges (or give/trade them away or sell them at the community market... obviously) they will stay in your inventory.

[Fipzz宝治]

yeah u do :)

[VigorousJammer]

If you trade or sell a card, it will disappear from your inventory and your badge progress... However, if you collect a full set and craft a badge, the cards will disappear from your inventory like normal... but you're still able to view the zoomed-in image on the badges page for any of the cards in that set.

So even though you technically don't have the cards anymore, having a badge still lets you keep a little part of the cards themselves.