Can I clean this?
 

I posted about this card in the March pick up thread but thought I would post a new thread specifically about this issue. This card has a white pasty coating to the lower half of it, almost like a water-based paint. Has anyone seen this before or have any idea how to clean this off without damaging the card?

Jim I’m sorry but I think you’re SOL on this one.

Maybe so. I might just try a damp sponge and see what happens.

Just try soaking it in warm distilled water and then drying it between a napkin. If the stain is water soluble, it should start to come out. If it's not, then you're probably not going to remove it without altering the card. But you can't damage the card by soaking it in water, so it's at least worth a try.

Warning: if you succeed, be prepared for the lovely folks over at the Blowhard BODA forums to put a hobby warrant out for your arrest for soaking a card in water.

I highly disagree. I would not put that card in water. Those 39 PlayBall cards don't like being soaked. I tried it with a Rookie Ted Williams a few years ago.

I suggest you don't soak that card just yet. (And I seldom say that.)

First, what is it??? It looks like a 1939 Playball, but I don't recognize the player nor the card.

Whatever it is, buy from somewhere the least expensive most chewed up card of that set that you can find... take a picture of it, then soak that beater. Take documentation pics as you go along. See how it survives the soaking before you mess with this card. If the trial card soaks and then dries ok, then give it a try on the real card. If the trial card swells up, distorts, separates, and other kinds of powerfully mean nasty ugly stuff, then share that with us. That's why we need those step by step pics.

I don't recall soaking a 1939 Playball. My guess is they'll soak. But I myself would try on a beater first just t make sure.

What is that card?

1939 Playball #48 Lefty Gomez.

39 playball Vernon Gomez

Apologies to Yankee fans for not recognizing that lefty. (I do have his Zeenut card!)

I'd try to get a cheap 39 Playball beater and soak that first, unless someone here KNOWS firsthand that they'll soak ok. I think they would, but I'd wanna try on a beater first.

Thank you to everyone for your input. Last night, I took a slightly damp sponge and tried to wipe it very gently to see if anything could be removed. I could tell that the card would swallow up any moisture it encountered so I used very, very little water. Nothing wiped off and after examining it further, I am not so sure that its not some kind of printing anomaly.

At this point, I'm just going to leave it as is and put it in my display case.

Probably a smart move. To me, it looks like the card had some kind of moisture damage during it's 83 yr. history. And maybe that could produce some kind of residue damage to the paper, but certainly not sure. IF it's a printing anomaly it is a strange one.
Cool card...
.

I've soaked about 20-30 without issue

I will try them again sometime. The complete beater Ted I had didn't like it, could have been the card as I have soaked several other cards with no problem.

Thank you, Leon.