Burdick's Method for Album Removal

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Posted By: Troy Kirk

From Feb 1943 Card Collector's Bulletin, written by Jefferson Burdick:

"We do not consider perfect condition on backs of cards of any great importance, unless a printed description of the picture is unreadable. Normally, when cards are lightly stuck down, we prefer pulling them loose rather than soaking them - especially the older thick cards which have plenty of stock to stand a slight skinning."

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Posted By: Richard Simon

Ah,,,, a man who did not believe in plastic holders,,, nice to see even if its from 1943.
=

I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.
Unknown author
--
We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.
No retreat baby, no surrender.
The Boss

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Posted By: leon

..."pulling them loose"; and that is how much back damage started, I presume. Many old time collectors, dare I say, almost all, didn't give a rats patoot about the backs. Now many folks collect them, times change. Maybe some of the reason not to worry about the backs, back then, is that it took so long to do transactions in the first place. I would think that snail mail for ALL communication today would limit our collections greatly, or at least make it much more difficult. ..regards...

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Posted By: barrysloate

When Burdick began his mammoth project of cataloguing all his cards for the Metropolitan Museum, he made three requests: a good desk to work on, as many albums as he needed to mount his card collection, and likewise many pots of paste to affix them in the albums.

The thought of pasting cards into an album would make the modern day collector cringe.

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Posted By: Laura

Glue, an archivists little demon.

I am in the process of deconstructing a scrapbook from 1891. It's a challenge indeed. If you soak, you run the risk of ink loss. If you pull, you run the risk of skinned backs. Stamp lifter only works if there's nothing glued to the opposite side. Then drying cards is also a challenge, it's not work for the impatient!

I know soaking is a hotly debated topic, with it's pros and cons. But sometimes you have to soak, no other way to get things out or off.

My tools include: a large glass or metal pan, very clean; not quite boiling water; a medium bristle brush (for removing glue from backs without burning your fingers); a very sharp thin knife to fillet the card from the paper; metal tongs to lift out the album pages; good quality (thick!) blotter paper; two large pieces of clean, non treated wood (to put the blotter paper between); heavy weights to hold down the drying cards; and the requisite patience.

I have been wondering if there is a better way. Feel free to jump in and educate me if you know of one! My goal is always a card or item in the best condition I can get it, with the least amount of loss or damage.

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Laura, that sounds like a fine method save one step... hot water. Seems to me that would increase the possibility of fading the image on the card. Maybe room temperature water and additional patience would be best. If your thinking is to go toward the other end of the spectrum and use cold water, my thinking is that the less temperature change to the card the better, so room temperature water is best. I use tap water. Unless someone has nasty tap water, I see no need in them using distilled water.

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Posted By: Scott Fandango

did he sometimes write on the back of the card in pencil before trading it to a friend? i heard this rumor at a show and was wondering if anyone else had heard this?

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Posted By: dan mckee

I disagree Leon, Pop has been soaking them out of scrapbooks since the early 1970s with no damage at all and most gradable. Dan.

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Posted By: Laura

Frank, some glue just doesn't respond to lukewarm water. As I said, a delicate balance. When deconstructing an album I always do a test with a non valuable item to see what sort of glue was used. Some responds to warm, some doesn't.

Makes me wish I could go back in time and lecture all those Victorian ladies about the need to only put things on one side of the page!

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Posted By: leon

I like soaking as much as the next guy but I would bet that ALL cards that were pasted in books and scrapbooks can't be easily soaked off. When they can't be soaked off is when I think the damage happens/happened. I do realize most are soakable, though as they commonly used a flour paste, in the old days, for glue. Say hi to Pops for me. You are a lucky man to have him......but you know that. best regards my friend