Quote:
Originally Posted by drcy
If a card or other paper/card ephemera smells musty, that's a good sign.
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With all due respect, I completely disagree with you. As someone who has a bit of an archivist background, musty smells are very often a sign of mold. Mold should be avoided at all costs as it can spread from one card (or paper, etc.) to others. Collections can get destroyed via mold. The only real way to combat mold is preventative.
Furthermore, I can create a musty smell in a matter of weeks. I would hardly use it date anything. In my opinion, the smell of older tobacco would be a much better clue of age than a musty smell (although it would certainly not be a definitive clue).
--David Luft--