Has anybody soaked postcards from a scrapbook?

[jsq]

in the mid 70's i did some baseball card hotel buying trips. we would often get scrapbook or notebooks with cards pasted in them, especially for some reason the 1930's era cards was the most likely decade to find these.

back then we would dump them in luke warm bathtub and usually they would have a paste similiar to elmers glue which was water soluble. just had to be careful not to soak to long or the card edges started to spread apart.

then we would press the cards with a screen, like a window screen, to let air circulate and simultaneously hold flat.

often their was very little or no obvious damage. sometimes, for instance, with the 33 goudeys you would get a little missing spot where the best adhered part of the glue was or fi the glue was particuarly tough the letters would get so damp, to get enough loosening from the scrap book, and the letters under that spot would be what you would call wobbly.

trying one to test was always best policy as to how to proceed.
i never did exhibit cards. never had any ink runs.

many collectors of today have a lot of 1930's era cards that were soaked in the 70's.

sometimes you could tell as the card will be a bit less flexible, ie stiffer, due to the wet, then dry process.


hope this helps.
all the best,
jsq