There really isn't a perfect solution that will satisfy everyone so you really have to play around with several options and see which suits your collection best. For more run of the mill photos I have no issue with storing them in standard albums with plastic pages readily available throughout the hobby or using the Itoya albums as you mentioned.

For any of my more special or valuable photos I keep them housed in mylar sleeves with museum board backings. These are then placed in 3" tall archival quality drop-front boxes that hold (off the top of my head) 30-40 prints. This is an expensive option but makes for a fantastic long-term solution and the photos present beautifully.

The mylar/museum board/drop-front box setup is likely overkill for most hobby-related applications but quality of the materials is second to none. It's how major institutions handle their collections and what you'll see if you visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame for research purposes and ask they pull files for you. In terms of the photos sliding around you'll notice there is a LOT of room inside the sleeve for the photo to "breathe." This is actually by design as you don't want to stuff brittle photos into enclosures that are too tight, and keeping edges of the photos away from corners of any storage solution is preferable.

I get my black drop-front boxes from https://www.universityproducts.com and both the black museum board and mylar from www.talasonline.com.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...68e1a561_c.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2903ce64_c.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e7b58d6a_c.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...40ae23b7_c.jpg

BTW, most of the photos above are 5x7 resting on 8x10 museum board. Here's a shot right from the HOF's website showing how they house their examples:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cdc57f40_c.jpg

Negs certainly do not turn up very often but any time a new archive is released into the wild some inevitably come to market. Back when I was working for Photo File we had over 1k original 5x7 George Burke negs and I know large groups of Burke negs, numbering in the many thousands, have sold through auction houses over the years. At Photo File we used several different professional quality papers but I'd have to talk to guys in charge of the print shop for tech specs. In terms of magic lantern slides, color transparencies, glass and film negs, yes a light table is a must-have. There are actually slim LED light tables now that can had for cheap on Amazon and they do a fantastic job. We used one of those handy tables at Love of the Game to produce images of the 1914 Naps magic lantern slides for our previous auction:

https://bid.loveofthegameauctions.co...8_1_107051.jpg

Vario Pages & Books
 

I use Vario pages for some photo's, they don't make ones large enough for 8x10ish sizes though.


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Andrew do you display much of your personal collection or no? What are your feelings on soft sleeves, toploaders, magloaders?

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Sharp. Are those albums designed for cachets?

Andrew,

Are your photos mounted in some way? If so, what exactly do you use? If not, what keeps them from sliding around inside the Mylar?

In most cases you'll be fine with those options as long as the materials are what we consider "inert." Some helpful basics here:

https://info.gaylord.com/resources/c...-right-plastic

For more significant pieces or collections I prefer solutions that incorporate mylar as it is highly stable and absolutely crystal clear. Some collectors enjoy displaying their collections but my preference is to store everything in a safe place and show particular pieces as needed. If I were to set anything up for display I'd have them matted with acid-free materials behind UV-resistant museum glass. Leave your vintage photos exposed to a light source over the course of several months or years and you're putting them at serious risk of fading and other forms of deterioration.

Paul, they are simply resting on the boards. This storage solution takes into account the fact that the boxes are stored flat and really aren't going to be moved. Happily, even when moved the photos don't tend to shift inside the sleeves. The goal is to ensure each example remains horizontal and surrounded by acid-free materials. Not going to be for everyone but hard to beat for long term preservation.

Thanks Andrew! I do have a rotation of photo displays going up but I have a few display pieces matted as you said and a couple in slabs. You'll probably recognize the WaJo. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...812704494d.jpg

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I think Vario is designed originally for "philately" and associated ephemera? Works well for the typical 5x7ish early photo sizes. A number of page layouts are available.

Yep, likely for storing #6 size cachets/event covers/first day covers. Used to be waaay more popular of a hobby.


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Andrew,
Thanks for the feedback and the links. I have a similar setup, but not as nice looking as yours. My OCD now says it's time to buy new archival storage supplies.:)

FWIW, I only display printed copies of my vintage prints, and store the originals similarly to Andrew’s suggested solution. Scan the original and upload a JPG scan to Framebridge or to a local printer for matting/framing.

4 mil mylar pages from BCE Mylar that are three-hole punched and stored in squared polypro notebooks from Unikeep. Static (if that is the right term) pretty much keeps the photos in place in the mylar sleeves. Unfortunately, I see a future with more of these in it:

https://rea-archive.us-east-1.linode...a-type-i-1.jpg

storage and printing
 

Okay, this is all paper, which in the end has a limited shelf life.

I am keeping my photos in a FireKing safe. However you store your cool stuff, you want to reduce moisture. DryTote is a rechargeable desiccant for storage boxes. It looks like a change purse and can be recharged by placing in a microwave for 3 minutes. Really.

You can also use blackboard chalk. A couple of sticks in an envelope work fine.
This also comes in handy for drawing crime scene outlines or playing hopscotch.

Glass plates....I'm not telling any of the people who have posted anything they don't know, but if you are new to glass plates (say you are buying Brown Bros negatives from Uncle Josh) and you don't have a darkroom, you can scan the negative, clean it up in the process and put the negative on a flash drive.

You guys now know as much as I.

lumberjack

I am pretty careful how I display my photos and photo type cards...

This one is in a dark place.

https://luckeycards.com/phunc1929pontiacgehrigprem.jpg

A lot of heavy hitters and eye candy in this thread

Christies had a pretty big auction awhile back (think approx 6-7 years ago) and had a bunch of Conlon and Thompson lots. Wish I would have bid on more of those. I won some of these from that auction. I try and display most of my photos on the walls.

Very nice, A.J.
I have the lobby card to go along with this...

Important photos are displayed on museum walls all around the world. There’s no reason why you can’t display a nice photo properly. The idea of keeping all my special photos in a box in a safe depresses me.

+1. All my photos and cards are in direct sunlight for full enjoyment.

Kidding but really I do have my favorite pieces in museum glass and I love seeing them daily on my wall. I think everyone with vintage sports photos should have a few pieces like that.

Never has the term "movie-star handsome" been more apropos.

For the record, the ones I have shown are on display in my home office. I tend to agree with you. They are out of sunlight and so forth, and I too, want to enjoy them.

Ones not on display are kept in a dark, cool place.

'

Memorial Day
 

Some important people/events from US history on Memorial Day.

The edit from United "Colonies" to United "States" was very likely in Hancock's hand circa 1776 as President of the Marine Committee conscripting soldiers for the navy to fight against the British.