card in bank safe deposit box

[pawpawdiv9]

I have 2 safes...One is a heavy duty digital one, while the other is a portable water-proof one.
id say almost ALL my cards are slabbed (that are valuable) ..Is it necessary to use those "humidity sacks" ?? My others cards are in albulms on shelves.
Never thought about any of this and what it will do...Well what does it do???

[ocjack]

Desiccant packs or even the more professional museum quality desiccants are an inexpensive investment to protect against humidity. There are several companies (and I believe some were listed on this site a couple years ago) that sell museum quality archival supplies.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by itjclarke

Thanks for the suggestions Bill... Funny enough, I buy the kind that comes in a cardboard box (Hydrosorbent 900) and feel all proud, only to find out last night my wife has the same kind you've posted. She's been using it in one of our small rooms. Oh well, now we have 3 total. (posting from 30,000 ft when should be sleeping!!)

Your wife is a smart lady.

[Stonepony]

Again, yep to the desiccant packs. About a year ago I opened a small safe I hadnt opened in a couple years. Important, but not valuable papers had significant moiture damage ( wrinkled and stuck together). I was shocked. I had a few slabbed modern cards in there that appeared unaffected. So since then, lots of desiccant in larger safes!! I live in midwest, lots of humidity, and yes my house is temperature controlled too. Dont risk it. You can dry out or " recharge" these packs every so often by putting them on a baking sheet and heating in over at 220 for 30 minutes or so. Cheap and in my experience a must

[the 'stache]

I'd like to get some up to date information from people that are putting their cards in a safe deposit box. I have my box now, and I have several cards I'd like to put in it. The bank is, of course, climate controlled, but I always want to make sure there's zero moisture anywhere near my cards.

The Box I have is 6" x 10" x 18". For those of you using a safe deposit box, what are you putting in with them to protect against moisture? I'm only about 2 miles from my bank, so putting a new ___ in every couple of months is no problem.

Do I want to use silica gel packs? Or something else? If you could please, provide a link to where you buy them.

Thank you!

[insccollectibles]

I keep about 90% of my collection in safe deposit boxes. Never had any issues other than looking for them when I sell a few.

[t206blogcom]

I'm more about putting my cards out on display for viewing than locking them up in a deposit box. However, if you collect high dollar cards for investment, perhaps a safe deposit box makes sense. I have a SDB myself, but not for card storage. I'd say the only potential drawback of a SDB is that the gov't can seize your assets that you keep in a SDB if you get into the sort of issues that would warrant such an action.

As for humidty, I don't think you should worry about it unless you're putting your raw cards on display in the bathroom. Even if you did, your cards wouldn't be completely destroyed. As I've mentioned and shared on this forum a few times before, I bought a few T206s that were found nailed to studs behind drywall in a Philadelphia bathroom during a renovation project. My favorite is this dirty Hooker (who was nailed to the stud). It's definitely dirty, but not completely destroyed.

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by t206blogcom

I'm more about putting my cards out on display for viewing than locking them up in a deposit box. However, if you collect high dollar cards for investment, perhaps a safe deposit box makes sense. I have a SDB myself, but not for card storage. I'd say the only potential drawback of a SDB is that the gov't can seize your assets that you keep in a SDB if you get into the sort of issues that would warrant such an action.

As for humidty, I don't think you should worry about it unless you're putting your raw cards on display in the bathroom. Even if you did, your cards wouldn't be completely destroyed. As I've mentioned and shared on this forum a few times before, I bought a few T206s that were found nailed to studs behind drywall in a Philadelphia bathroom during a renovation project. My favorite is this dirty Hooker (who was nailed to the stud). It's definitely dirty, but not completely destroyed.

No No - it's just way too easy to comment of this

[t206blogcom]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

No No - it's just way too easy to comment of this

[Jobu]

As a tropical biologist who lives in New Orleans I have two contributions to this thread.

1) If you keep your cards in a safety deposit box (I keep mine at home) you should consider how prone the bank is to flooding. In the case of a storm like Katrina or Sandy you might not have time to get to the bank to pick up your valuables before you evacuate as you wiill be busy with a lot of preparations, traffic is bad, and the bank might be closed during normal busniess hours so that their employees can evacuate. You also might prefer to leave your valuables at the bank rather than carrying all of them with you in your car! In choosing your bank you should look at a floodplain/elevation map and pick a bank that is in a high zone. This could also be a consideration for non-coastal cities as areas flood due to heavy rain or flooding rivers. I asked the local insurance agent that sold me my renter's insurance to show me one of these maps and they were happy to do so (and I am glad I did because we didn't flood during Katrina).

2) Anyone looking to buy silica gel should skip the prepackaged stuff that comes in little tins and which is sold in places like camera stores. If you look closely at it, you see lots of grains that look like kitty litter and a few scattered in there that will be either pink or blue depending on their level of water absorption. Those colored crystals are what is doing the work, I believe the rest is more or less filler. For my work in the rain forest I buy pure silica gel and put my electronics with it in a sealed bag each night. It is more expensive, for obvious reasons, but does a much much better job. One note - when the crystals (referred to as gel) aren't in a package you need to exercise a little caution when baking them. I have been told that they are somewhat toxic so it would be wise to use a dedicated pan for baking the water out rather than a dish used for cooking.

Sorry for the long post!

[mrvster]

that was a great post jobu

[Jobu]

Gracias - I just don't want to see anyone's cards get damaged or lost, I know how bummed I would be!

[hangman62]

I feel the safe dep box is the only way to go.


The way I do it is every year when Topps come out with a new set..I bring it right over..... I started doing that with the 1st set I ever deposited..the 1985 Topps set, I now have EVERY set Topps ever produced from 1985 to 1995 ( I feel these are the core years..the cant miss type stuff ) .. and they are all locked up ...yes Id like to look at these more often...enjoy my investment..but its too risky

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by hangman62

I feel the safe dep box is the only way to go.


The way I do it is every year when Topps come out with a new set..I bring it right over..... I started doing that with the 1st set I ever deposited..the 1985 Topps set, I now have EVERY set Topps ever produced from 1985 to 1995 ( I feel these are the core years..the cant miss type stuff ) .. and they are all locked up ...yes Id like to look at these more often...enjoy my investment..but its too risky

Are you joking, or are you being serious?

[Luke]

Originally Posted by 4815162342

Are you joking or are you being serious?

Are you joking, or are you being serious?

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by LukeLyon

Are you joking, or are you being serious?

Thank you, Luke, I am terrible, with, commas.

[Luke]

Daryl,

I was just joking with you. There's no way Ralph was serious

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by LukeLyon

Daryl,

I was just joking with you. There's no way Ralph was serious

I hope you're right. http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=146858

[hangman62]

Yes, I know..there are fees involved with renting the Bank saftey box..but I feel the investment of the sets should outweigh the monthly fee of $ 5.00, I feel all the great rookies alone should cover that..Im mean come on - that 1987 T set is loaded !..