Autographs and documents can be damaged forever by improper storage and handling. The lignin in wood-pulp paper reacts with light and air to form sulfuric acid. This is what causes paper to "brown" and become brittle. Placing a valuable autograph on rag paper next to one on wood-pulp paper will transfer the acid from one to another over time.

BEWARE! If you are collecting modern autographs (1880s on), they are most likely on wood-pulp paper. You can check for this using an inexpensive "ph pen" available from archival supply companies. If the paper is acidic, it can be easily treated with a spray called "Bookkeeper" which will neutralize the acid and buffer the paper against future contact with acidic materials.

Here are some tips to help you protect your collection:

1. Store your autographs and documents in archival plastic sleeves or in acid-free boxes. Never use sleeves made from PVC. Note: If you can actually "smell the plastic," don't use that type of sleeve.

2. If you use a "stiffener" or "insert" behind your document, make sure it, too, is acid free. Avoid those black paper inserts included in many albums.

3. Another common cause of damage is light. The ultraviolet light in both sunlight and fluorescent lights can fade display pieces--the signatures can literally disappear! If you frame a valuable autograph, use only acid-free matting materials and either museum glass or plexiglass with ultraviolet filtering properties.

SAVE MONEY AND YOUR VALUABLE AUTOGRAPH! Get a color laser copy (even if the original is black & white) made of your document at Staples or Office Depot and frame that. Put the original safely in your binder. You won't have to worry about security or the high cost of archival framing, and most of your friends won't be able to tell the difference. Ask the copier operator to make several tries on slightly different settings to get the best example you can. It's still a lot cheaper than archival framing.

4. Never repair valuable paper collectibles with cellophane ("Scotch"), plastic, or masking tape. Such repairs will stain and eventually destroy the paper. I once owned a wonderful "Handcuff Harry Houdini" signature. One of the previous owners had scotch-taped it inside a book. The tape dried over the years and fell off, but the ugly yellow stain is there forever. Use archival mending tissue or let a professional conservator do the repair.

5. Do not staple pages together or use paper clips or you risk rust stains on your documents and those ugly paper-clip indentations. Remove any old staples already present. If you have any early documents that are "pinned" together, remove these pins.

6. Avoid storing your collection where high heat or high humidity are a factor--no attic or basement storage. And remember, most fireproof safes have high humidity levels. If your collection warrants storage in a safe, make sure you lower the humidity with a desiccant canister. These small containers contain chemically inert material that attracts water, condenses, and contains it. They are reusable and sold in any good archival preservation materials catalog.

7. Resist any temptation to "trim" the autograph or document. Anything trimmed is always worth less.

8. Never, ever, laminate any autographic material. Knowledgeable collectors will rarely buy anything laminated. Note: There is a huge difference between lamination and encapsulation, a reversable method used by conservators to protect valuable material. (Removing lamination can be done by an experienced conservator, but it is very expensive.)

HAVE QUESTIONS? Email me and I'll try to help!