Your thoughts on sharpie long term
 

hello,
what are your thoughts/experience on sharpie long term on items. I see lots of faded/fading sharpie sigs on ebay.

I'm a staedtler fan myself. Depends on the item as well, and where it is signed.

If properly stored and on a medium that holds ink well there is typically no problem. I have items signed 30+ years ago that look the same as the day they were signed.

Sharpie-signed pool balls look perfect 20+ years later, but WILL scratch and smudge if handled improperly. I learned this the hard way by sending them out for authentication. Dismayed to find out that smudges can be wiped off with thumb pressure so I assume signatures can be as well :(

than you for all the comments. I was more referring to signed sports cards. I see alot of factory certified autographs on ebay fading/faded.

Modern cards will absolutely fade if you don't rub off an area. The shiny cards have a slick surface but if you dry erase an area on the card I've found the signature is more or less permanent.

Baseballs that aren't official league or made of leather will definitely fade and/or bleed. Photos don't seem to be affected by much of anything.

Sounds like Packs had your answer - I certainly learned something.

The ink not adhering to the gloss on newer cards isn't the same thing as fading. Fading is a result of exposure to light in most cases. The bubbling you are referring to is because the gloss prevents the ink from bonding with the cardboard surface of the card underneath the gloss. The more porous the material, the more the ink bonds, and items that are too porous can fade or bleed because the ink continues to spread long after being signed.

the ones i see are on non glossy cards but on regular cardboard stock cards like vintage cards. im not sure if the factory pack insert ones are glossy or not.

It might be helpful to post a picture or link. Just to make sure we're all talking about the same thing.

Rub the new shiny card with baby powder then wipe off excess this removes the "slickness" that causes sharpie to fade and smudge. If on a baseball yes you have to absolutly make sure it is official or it will smudge. I have real baseballs that look like the day they were signed where as some of my ink signed balls not so much.

If the sharpie is faded on cardboard it could have just been a faded sharpie. I suggest anyone who uses a sharpie test it first or you'll be surprised with a streaky signature when the time comes.