1950's Topps/Bowman question

[Volod]

Originally Posted by homerunhitter

For those that collect raw cards, is it necessary to put them in a penny sleeve? (If they are in low grade condition, do penny sleeves even matter? (Do they keep them from sticking together and blocking together like some of the cards from the 90’s?)

For those that put them in top loaders, do you notice the top loaders turn yellow after awhile?

Your post reminded me of an experience of mine with plastic sheets back in the stone age of the hobby. At that time, the horrors of PVC had yet to be revealed, and it did not occur to me to consider how twenty years of storage might affect old pasteboard as I began to put together my fondly remembered card sets. I ordered a large lot of Johnston Cookie cards from a very reputable dealer and when I anxiously opened the shipping carton, was immediately struck by the repulsive odor of the waxy PVC sheets the cards had been encased in for who knows how long. Of course, the cards too, although mostly in excellent condition otherwise, all reeked of the PVC stench. I thought of returning them to the dealer, but understood that he was an old timer in the hobby and quite likely had an olfactory disfunction, so did not notice the problem with his cards. So, the upshot of that experience was that I became very cautious about ordering cards and after receiving them stored them in high quality sleeves - mostly mylar - where they remain to this day, some fifty years later. I have never felt the need to use top loaders, as I wanted to be able to actually feel the cards when looking at them. But, I learned of another drawback to soft plastic when after a few years of storage, some of my sets had developed a noticeable curvature from being stored upright in their boxes. My solution to that was to make sure that the sets were all packed tightly enough so as not to lean even slightly in the box. As well, preferably stacked sidewise, instead of endwise to avoid bending in any direction.