[Tay1038]

Hi,

I am looking for some restoration advice on my recent acquisition of this 1877 St. Paul Red Caps original photograph display. 9 photographs are pictured - the starting lineup of the first professional baseball team in Minnesota. The entire piece is very fragile (nearly 138 years old). Two of the photographs have come loose and the vintage cardboard definitely shows it age. The display itself measures 20x27 while the photos measure 4x7 inches each.

Since this is my first vintage photograph; I am a bit uneducated on what should be done to keep the photo and displays safe/protected for another 138 years. A few questions I have are:

Should I restore it? Should I have the photographs and center logo professionally removed and transferred onto a better matt? If so, what type of matt? Would removing the photographs from the vintage cardboard and replacing it decrease the value of the piece?

Or should I just leave everything "as is"?

What method should I use to protect this piece until I decide to frame it? I've seen older photographs at memorabilia shows that are wrapped in a sealed plastic wrapped with a cardboard back. Will that suffice?

Any advice you can pass along will be very much appreciated.

Thank you,

Taylor