Smoke-Free Environment
 

I often see card and antique dealers describing their items as having come from "smoke-free environments." What effect does cigarette smoke have on cards? Is the effect minimized if the cards are slabbed?

I guess that rules out my tobacco card collection, boy I hope I didn't take a hit. I dont smoke but I'm pretty sure the previous owners may have... ;)

I personally would love to see Beckett add "Odor" as one of it's measures.

I think they just plug that into all of their descriptions. They sell stuff like clothing, garments, dolls, etc. that can "collect" odors and can be a real bummer.


Me personally, I like smelling old cards...am I the only one?

I thought this was just a bad smell thing - cigarette odor stays with something and might not be appealing to a buyer.

edited to add: I believe some folks have allergic reactions to smoke as well which may be another reason.

In theory, prolonged exposure to smoke could cause some amount of discoloration, but if the cards are exposed enough to be damaged by smoke, they're probably much more severly damaged by light and wear-n-tear.

I respectfully place myself in line for Wonkaticket's collection should he decide to rid himself of such contamination. I'll even speak well of you to everyone I know. :)

The answer is some people don't like their stuff to smell like smoke.

I don't think it's a big deal with a baseball card, but, as you can imagine, many people don't want a shirt to smell like someone else's smoke.

If you are a smoker-- if the cards are stored normally (in boxes, holders, not displayed 24/7 on your coffee table), I doubt your smoking will have effect on the cards.

I once sold a lot from a guy who was a HEAVY smoker and it did have a little odor...I expect it dissapated.

I am more concerned about my ballcards being dolphin-free.

One time I bought a scrapbook on ebay and when the thing arrived you could smell the item through the box and tape! It made my office smell like I was a chain smoker so I took it outside and pulled out what I wanted and just threw the rest away it was so bad (nothing valuable, a bunch of newspaper clippings etc). I had no idea things could stink so bad from cigarette exposure over the years but this was also a large book with lots of things to absorb the smell. I cant imagine one card could get that bad. I think it is normally a clothing/apolstry thing where it can be a big issue.

if you want to know what smoking does to cards, find a heavy smoker who has live in one place for an extended period of time. Then take a cloth with cleaner on it and wipe one spot on a wall for about 30 seconds..... See the nasty difference?

Personally, I support old tobacco cards, and I support the tobacco! I guess if you sat there and consistently blew smoke directly at the cards, that yellow stain would occur!

The previous post was correct with allergies. I also (if I remember) list items "smoke & pet free." While nothing serious, I have an allergic reaction to cats. It has never manifested itself from a card, I do it as a courtesy after I was once asked about a clothing article being sold.

When publications come from a smokers home, they can reek (as mentioned above). There is nothing that you can do about it either. I once bought a great vintage collection of yearbooks....but everything smelled like cigarettes. I tried kitty litter, fresh air, etc. Eventually I threw it all away...it had no value.

I once
 

I once bought an autographed Dan Marino jersey from a smoker. When I picked it up the whole house reeked of smoke so the Marino jersey itself did not stand out. Once I got to the show and displayed it, every person that looked at it commented about the smell of smoke on the jersey. By show's end, I practically had to beg a dealer to trade for it...To the smoker: you might not notice the smell of smoke on all your stuff but to a non-smoker you and your stuff stink to high-heaven.

Wow, being bashed on the Net54 Board for smoking! :( That's a first. You can smoke and also not smoke in your house and keep your cards in safes so they smell minty fresh just like in the home of a guy who has never picked up a butt in his life. By the way, even most smoking collectors realize the smell attendant with smoking and are turned off by the smell on paper and clothing memorabilia, we didn't lose our olfactory senses.