Best way to display a full (132) card sheet?

[jp1216]

I'm looking to display/hang my only 132 card sheet. Any ideas? Pictures?

[frankbmd]

Jon,

Just noticed your post about sheet displays.

My only sheet is the first produced by UD: 1989 Baseball with cards #1-100.

In 1989 they were the first "premium" card. The sheet is framed with glass on both sides, so that is could be hung in the middle of a large room and viewed from either side. Even though I have a large room with cathedral ceilings I have never displayed it that way. It hangs over the staircase coming down from my loft, where it doesn't get direct sunlight. I have never turned it over.

I thought the framing was an interesting concept though.

Frank - stuck at 511

[Brianruns10]

Originally Posted by jp1216

I'm looking to display/hang my only 132 card sheet. Any ideas? Pictures?

I know a fair bit about this, as I've done research into framing antique textiles for a 1920s banner I was going to have restored and framed, and much of the same rules apply

1) UV protection is a must if you intend to display. Light WILL do damage sooner or later, ESPECIALLY where dyes and pigments and photographs are concerned. And even UV filtration won't keep your item 100 percent protected, so pick a spot out of direct light, and if at all practical, try to rotate the item in and out of display, every few months or so (much as museums do). It'll enhance the longevity of your item
1B) As for what type of UV filtration, you can get glass or plexi. Each has pros and cons. Glass is heavier, easier to break (which could scratch your item). Plexi is lighter and far less shatter prone, but it can scratch a little more easily than glass so you have to be more careful as you transport. Also, there are those who are concerned about plexi's longterm stability, as it is a petroleum based product, while glass is highly stable, chemically inert. But plexi is a good, highly stable product as well, so I honestly don't think you need to worry about this. I'll be using plexi to frame my banner. Regardless of whether you get plexi or glass, PAY THE EXTRA for the anti-reflective coating, also known as museum glass/plexi. It's practically invisible, and when you see it in a side-by-side comparison with non-coated materials...it's night and day. 100 percent recommend

2) Avoid contact with your item. You want as little touching your sheet as possible, to avoid any transference or chemical reaction between the two. For starters, you should never allow your glass/plexi to contact the sheet, which means you'll either need a mat board cut to fit around the sheet, or spacers that separate the glass from your item. From a cost perspective, I recommend spacers; finding a sheet large enough for an outer mat can be costly as is the labor to cut it, and it enlarges the frame and the glass. However, matting when done right is very attractive. It's a $$$ versus aesthetics call really. As for mounting your sheet, I'd recommend edge corners that gently hold the four corners of your sheet, and give it support, without using any adhesives or harsh attachments.

3) Most importantly, use archivally sound materials. You must be very careful what touches your item, because there are dangers involved, primarily with the acids contained in certain common materials. I recommend a metal frame. Wood contains acids that can discolour your item, and if you opt for wood, it must be sealed with a water borne polyurethane to lock those acids in. Depending on the size and weight of the sheet, you may need to have built a support frame to keep your item from warping or bowing under it's own weight; a simple backing may not be enough. For my banner I'm building such a strainer...it's really just a frame that you attach the backing to. Build out of metal, or as I'm opting to do, wood with the poly seal. Your backing/mount should be archivally sound mat or rag board acid free. You'll encounter two kinds: buffered and unbuffered. Unbuffered are chemical free and inert, while buffered materials contain a calcium carbonate additive, basically an alkaline that counters acids that might reside in the display item itself. I'm betting your sheet was NOT printed on archival, acid free material, and therefore, you should get buffered backing.

4) Environment: make sure you have a suitable display location with climate control and median range humidity, 50% humidity give or take 10%. Ideally not basements or attics or garages! And as mentioned in my first point, if you have something else you can display, so you can rotate items, that is ideal, to limit the light exposure it receives.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions!

BR

[jp1216]

^^ After reading that, I should just leave the sheet rolled up and in a tube ^^

Seriously, thanks for the advice. I'll have to put some thought and planning into it...

[Brianruns10]

It's worth the time and investment now. You need only watch a few episodes of antiques roadshow to see how valuable prints and photographs have been improperly displayed and have all kinds of conditions issues which detract the value and require conservation.

Do it right now, and it'll last decades and decades.

[Brianruns10]

Originally Posted by jp1216

^^ After reading that, I should just leave the sheet rolled up and in a tube ^^

By the way, if this is how you are actually storing your sheet, I'd strongly advise another storage method. It needs to be stored flat, ideally between two sheets of acid-free buffered mat board, and kept in a dark, climate controlled place, ideally lying flat. Like under your bed for example.

[doug.goodman]

I'm going to go at your question from a slightly different angle.

I am going to assume that the sheet(s) you want to display are going to give you more satisfaction from them being displayed, than from potential resale value in 50 years.

If my assumption is valid, than a google search for "poster display hangers" turns up lots of options.

http://www.allposterframes.com/all-p...me.asp?ID=5242

http://www.displays2go.com/Product.aspx?ID=13740

I wouldn't suggest using these for your 1952 Topps high number sheet, but your 1985 Topps sheets would look pretty cool.

Doug

[Brianruns10]

When it comes to deciding how to preserve and display valued items, the word "assume" is most dangerous.

We cannot know the value of something in 50 years. Baseball cards being a famous example, as most were lost because people ASSUMED they were worthless. In the 1950s maybe they were, but in 30 years time, not so much.

Whether these cards are valuable or not, doesn't change that there is a right way and a wrong way to display them. Both will work, but one will shorten the lifespan of the item, and damage it beyond repair given enough time. The other will ensure there is something worth passing on.

It's pay now or pay later. Better to do it right the first time, rather than cut corners.