The stash of a football card collection, a signed jersey, or a photograph from your favorite current player requires special care to stay as it was always.
Collecting sports memorabilia is fun and an existing hobby; for some, it is potentially a full investment. However, even if you are just accumulating items for sentimental reasons, you want to take care of your beloved memorabilia as otherwise they would lose their grace or may be the signs too. Here are some suggestions you can apply to protect your sports collection to prevent this from happening.
Avoid Putting Your Memorabilia On Display
This might seem a little disappointing as, like every other sports fan, you also want to show off your favorite signed sports memorabilia collection. But here, our goal is to help keep your memorabilia dust-free, strain-free, and as pristine as possible. Adding it will work in your favor as when you store it properly, it will just look like the day you got it, even after many years.
On display, it often comes in contact with sunlight. Even if the sunlight is only for a few hours of light a day, it can eventually cause the sports memorabilia to fade. And after some time, maybe a few years later, you will find that signature looks lighter. To prevent this, store your memorabilia in a dark and clean place like a closet, archival box, binder, or drawer. It keeps your collection safe from sunlight as well as moisture.
For The Better Protection Frame, Your Jersey
You can frame the large shirts to keep them protected. Museum-style frame kits make it display easily with acid-free material. Ensure you look for frames with acid-free backing and a sturdy archival hanger. And first thing first, always keep your framed textile away from direct light, moisture and heat.
Employ UV Protections For Better Preservation
If you use UV protection for all your sports collectibles, you can display them without worrying about the sun’s effect. If you use a clear display, it should be plexiglass, as this offers more UV protection than other mediums like polymers and certainly glass.
Also, if you intend to display the items in plexiglass, don’t worry about the sunlight. Glass displays are certainly classy but MUST be kept away from sunlight. You can also take care of temperature and humidity control along with UV protection. The ambient temperature is fine; you can save the humidifier for cigars. However, you’re looking to avoid wild temperature and humidity swings. The garden variety house is fine. The garden variety shed that may or may not be in the garden is not.
So long as you keep the temperature controlled, the UV light away, and control for air and acid, your sports memorabilia should last a long time.
Don’t Get Harsh With The Vintage Leather
Avoid using lotions or oils for cleaning. Do not use oil or other dressings to try to rejuvenate leather. The additive is forced back to the globe’s surface, resulting in a spew, which has a moldy, white appearance. Wear white cotton gloves, then clean off any surface dust with a soft brush or cloth because fingerprints and hand oils can damage antiques permanently. Apply a leather conditioner devoid of wax and silicone on a soft cloth and allow it to dry away from sunshine or heat sources.
Handle The Memorabilia With Clean Hands
Clean hands are the key to caring for your memorabilia like a pro. The more you touch it, the more bacteria will come into contact with your memorabilia. Therefore, it may get damaged or dirty. However, there are some items when you do need to touch them. So at that time, make sure your hands are clean whenever you show or store them. It is really important to handle it with care. You can wash your hands with soap and dry them with a clean towel. You can also wear gloves to ensure the perfect conditions of your all sports collectibles.
Clean The Bats Gently
Bats can be an important part of your collection, so you want them to be protected. Avoid polishes, waxes, or cleaners on your wooden bats.
Rather, you can use a dust-free cloth to remove the loose dirt from your memorabilia. Do not handle it with your naked hands.
Make A Digital Copy Of Your Newspaper
Newsprints are known to be one of the most toxic materials in archival collections. You can print a copy on acid-free paper using a flatbed scanner or digital camera to add to your family archive.
After framing and displaying a printed copy of the original in any frame for long-term viewing—no need for costly archival materials on copies. If you like to display newspaper photos and articles on their own, you can use acid-free backing or a mat board with UV-filtering glass to slow paper decay and yellowing. To keep the conditions all right, display them away from the sunlight.
Store Them Properly
If you store your memorabilia properly, it will stay alright no matter what. Keep them in vacuum-free storage, as oxygen acts as an enemy. Oxygen molecules can cause decay in materials like paper and fingers. Which eventually forces chemical reactions and breaks down the substance. This is how anything can rot. To protect this from happening, you don’t want to store them just with oxygen. If you do, the paper will go to dust. The cloth dries, colors fade, wide dries and cracks, and so on. You can prevent all this from happening by keeping the oxygen out.
For instance, you can store the cards in plastic sleeves and seal them away. Ultimately, keeping exposure to the oxygen minimum will go a long way to ensure your memorabilia will stay the same for years to come.
These are some tips that you can use to protect your sports collections now to protect them. First, you want to have them. And if you are looking to buy signed memorabilia from your favorite player, visit Wofsports, the best online store to collect the collectibles.
