B18s when new weren't frayed, neither were most silks/blankets. The exception being some of the rug blanket inserts that came with fringe on the ends.
I don't know about formal grading I don't think all the TPGs grade he B18s.
I have a few and can say the factory cut isn't always precise. And nothing was done to prevent the edge from fraying. But it's a fairly tight weave, so it stays together fairly well.
I wouldn't mind picking up a quilt made of B18s, or one that included some silks. The B18s are more common, as the style that used silks the most was fading by 1910 and after. (Crazy quilts, which are more chaotic and less geometric than most styles but often incorporate silks and even handpainted scraps of fabric -often silk like or velour. With complex stitching between fabric scraps. Hit their peak in the 1890's. Some are amazing, some just don't Oook all that good, most are in between. My wife has a couple that are pretty nice plus a chair that was covered with remains of what was a really nice one. )
Silks are more often found made into pillowcases for decorative pillows.
I wouldn't pass up a good looking one at a good price because of stitch holes, but it would have to be inexpensive compared to a nice one.
on B18s fading can be a problem, as can bleeding of the colors from being washed with some detergents or possibly from being wet.
I only have a couple silks. I usually see them frayed but they didn't come that way. Some originally had a backing. The ones that came with the backing are more desirable with it, but again, I wouldn't pass on a good looking one with little or no fraying at a reasonable price.
Overall the collecting of the seems to be less hung up on grade than regular cards. (I could be wrong, it's been a while since I bought any) And I think there are some pretty good bargains as far as players go.
I keep my B18s in two pocket pages, and the couple silks are still in pages, until I can figure out a better holder.
Archivally, the best way might be laid on felt inside a mylar pocket. Cloth is usually put between acid free tissue paper and rolled not folded for larger pieces. There are some methods to stabilize fragile stuff, but most of them wouldn't be acceptable to card collectors. (Usually stitching to a backing cloth with needles and thread finer than the weave so there are no stitch holes if the backing is removed. It can look fantastic and prevent a fragile piece from getting worse, I've done it once and it's a huge p.i.t.a. )
Steve B
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