Card repair advice
 

I bought a card online, and it destroyed in transit to the point where it was ripped in half. I’d like to try and salvage it if possible. Does anyone here have any experience with this, or any recommendations for what I can do? It’s a $150 card, so it doesn’t make sense to send it for professional restoration, but it has a beautiful autograph that I don’t want to see wasted either.


Thanks in advance.

How do you feel about lamination? Or is that not a consideration?

I recently went to Kinko's to laminate some things, and that's a pretty easy option. You can put the card 'back together' inside the 8.5" x 11" lamination plastic (which is simple), make sure it looks as good as possible, and then feed it into the machine to be sealed.

I would remove from the slab, approximate the edges and scotch tape!

It's not going to 'repair' well...


With that said, get a raggedy 1950s ball card, a real beater. Then tear it 1/4 & 3/4... then water down a bit of white glue, Elmer's glue, and try gluing that back together. Less is more. Try this two or 3 times, and get yourself a bit of proficiency at it. Get a tiny little hobby paint brush, and maybe trim down the bristles a bit. I think as you get adept at putting a tiny bit of watered down glue on the gray subsurface paper, you'll see that you can wipe off excess glue from the front side of the card with a slightly dampened paper towel. Place the card between some blotting paper, and then under a few hardbound books, then let dry. Less is more, except for patience.

Once you've learned a bit of what not to do; and have an idea of what's needed for acceptable results, THEN go for it with your 1952 Topps.

I wish you well with it, please post results and an epilog of suggestions.

I would put a clear piece of laminate on the rear and piece it together.

maybe
 

Well to start with I sure as hell wouldnt laminate it...... thats permanent! Maybe a tiny bit of Elmers or a piece of clear tape on the back only? Its a shame that happened in transit. At least it didnt get the autographed part!

PLEASE do not laminate it.

In college I worked in a library restoring damaged books when needed. Some of considerable value and age. I would never use materials that were permanent additions unless absolutely necessary.

This is what you need, just add to the back and find a nice clean snap case -

https://www.dickblick.com/products/l...t-repair-tape/

I think I would seek out a custom card maker and have them preserve the auto via a custom card.

Line both parts expertly in a Card Saver sleeve, as I did for my Goudey Ruth, scan it, and call it a day (you might stick in the flip in there as well at the top).

Brian

I would try using Demco paper adhesive and see if that holds it together. Other options could be P-Tape or Japanese paper. Here are a few tutorials on how to use them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pUZ...%26SchoolIdeas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYLD...VintagePaperCo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siU8...onEquipmentLtd

archival tape
 

Neschen Filmoplast P Transparent Paper Archival Mending Tape, 3/4in x 165ft, Single Roll in Dispenser Box
Brand: Neschen
$29.89$29.89
Brand Neschen
Color Transparent
Material Acrylic
Number of Items 1
Special Feature Long,Transparent
About this item
1 mil, Semi-Matte Transparent Paper Tape
Acid-free, pH-neutral acrylic adhesive
Won’t dry out or yellow with age
Transparent tape disappears on contact; removable water soluble

Was going to suggest this myself.

Mouschi does beautiful work with custom cards.

Sadly, it's pretty much ruined as an intact item and you're correct that cost outweighs value for professional restoration.

Another option would be to buy an unsigned 52T Mize of similar condition. Then, make a clean vertical cut close to the tear and place the signed portion on top of the unsigned card. I'd personally leave the two cards loose/unattached in any way and just display stacked atop each other. It would provide the easiest and nicest aesthetic. It looks like the cost for another card would pretty much equal the price of a roll of the archival tape people are recommending, so perhaps consider which of the two options appeals most to you.

With the way the card has ripped, it looks pretty much done for to me. Any amateur attempts at putting the pieces back together again will turn out to be a messy endeavor IMHO. It will look amateurish and Frankensteinian, if that's even a word. :rolleyes:

A third option may come along via this board. Someone reading might have more experience with this sort of thing and may offer to assist in the reconstruction. Considering this card didn't break the bank (and I'm trusting you were refunded for it, anyway), this may be worth trying. If you're unhappy with the results, you could always go with my first suggestion afterward.

When I opened this thread, my first thought was "holy crap, that sucker got destroyed!". No joke, my second thought was send it to Brian bc its a card/condition he would love (and then you post your Goudey Ruth).

Sorry to hear this happened. Would have a real issue with the person that packed/shipped it. But in the end nothing you can do

I would do something like this. Love the Ruth and how it lines up

I wouldn’t do anything beyond a penny sleeve to hold the 2 pieces together and insert into a top loader sealed with a team bag. It’ll look ok once everything is coaxed into place.

I think this one is on the carrier, not the shipper

Thanks Ryan and Jeff...the Ruth is definitely a fun one to show off. I don't think I would be so happy if I knew it got damaged in shipping to me. That would just make me sad. But someone long ago tearing out big chunks and separating it into two makes me smile.

Brian

Just bought some. Thanks for the recommendation. Saved me some time.

a last thought
 

After thinking about this a bit, I bet that when you carefully remove the damaged card from the broken holder, you will be surprised how well it "Puzzles" back together..... being careful to make sure the proper tear pieces go on top or under as you refit it. There will be a line but the card will look decent IMO with the autographed portion still in perfect shape. I would secure the reassembly somehow, maybe with a single piece of the aforementioned tape on the back (and if its truly invisible maybe one on the front and I said maybe on that last one. Good luck..... and by the way, I hope you get some compensation from the sender or the carrier for the damages.