Effects of humidity/temperature variations on T206 cardstock

[Santo10Fan]

My entire collection lives at my parents' home in Mesa, AZ. This is for a number of reasons, but primarily the lack of humidity and security. Has anyone seen/heard about cards being ruined by humidity or temperature variations? Attic horde finds make me wonder how big of a deal environment actually is, and whether it could make the difference in a card lasting to today, vs one lasting to say 2050

[swarmee]

Since T206 cards can be soaked in water for hours, they're pretty resilient. 1950s and current cardboard is much more sensitive.

[JollyElm]

I know they aren't tobacco cards, but for a great example of the humidity scenario look no further than how the lifespan of Kellogg's 3-D cards is affected by the moisture (and lack thereof) in the air. I spent my entire life in and around NYC, where the humidity just gets crazy. Virtually every single Kellogg's card I ever saw eventually was destroyed by the telltale cracks and curving all over them. They basically shrivel up over time!! Some people kept cards in the attic, so that was definitely a factor in expediting the damage, but most kids kept their cards in their rooms or closets, and those babies suffered the same fate. Now (for a few years now) I've been in the semi-desert confines of California, where there is very low humidity, and damn, what a difference it makes!! At shows, the vendors always have Kellogg's cards on hand (which surprised the heck out of me) and they look pristine. When I regale them with stories of cracking and curving, they literally have no idea what I am talking about. Some dealers seem amazed and ask me all sorts of questions about it, almost acting like I am a strange visitor from a distant galaxy, and I get a huge kick out of it (Granted, the 3-D cards are made differently that standard cards, but the point still remains). It is mind blowing how little the humidity is a factor out here, so I imagine AZ must be the perfect place to store your cards.

[MrSeven]

As an Arizona resident, I'm guessing you're talking about a non-climate controlled/no-AC area?

Otherwise temperature & humidity are far from an issue. Typically I'll be concerned about environments getting too dry.

[Santo10Fan]

Talking about a room kept 80 in summer and 70 in winter

[drcy]

Ideally, you don't want heat, but the dry is good. And 70-80 is far from extreme heat. I wouldn't worry much about it.

I stored my childhood collection in a Wisconsin bedroom closet next to the garage that got extreme changes in conditions. Wisconsin is cold in the winter (goes without saying), but also hot and humid in the summer. And my cards survived fine. I think the way the cards are holdered and stacked has more influence on future condition than the climate. Now, if you lived in the Amazon jungle...

[steve B]

Originally Posted by drcy

Ideally, you don't want heat, but the dry is good. And 70-80 is far from extreme heat. I wouldn't worry much about it.

I stored my childhood collection in a Wisconsin bedroom closet next to the garage that got extreme changes in conditions. Wisconsin is cold in the winter (goes without saying), but also hot and humid in the summer. And my cards survived fine. I think the way the cards are holdered and stacked has more influence on future condition than the climate. Now, if you lived in the Amazon jungle...

I think the holders and stacking are an important part of things. There's what places like LOC say are best, and what a regular person without a government budget can do.

If I remember correctly, 40F and 40% humidity is best for paper, but for nearly all of us that's entirely unreasonable.

I try to have decent holders, and surprisingly, penny sleeves are not at all bad.
I try to avoid a lot of heat, and wide temperature swings. That's not particularly doable in an 1880's house.

In my unscientific test (card in a sleeve left in a sunny spot for a few years) The card didn't fade much compared to the part outside the sleeve, or the cards partly under it. The sleeve got incredibly brittle but protected the card.

All that being said, I've seen stuff stored in good conditions have problems, and stuff stored in absolutely awful conditions that was just fine.

I'd think that the conditions you describe are good, and I wouldn't worry at all.