Penny Sleeves and Archival Safety

[steve B]

The new penny sleeves are pretty good, I'm still waiting on my UV experiment after having tossed the old stuff.

I had some cards left out in an odd spot that got some sun for - Lets just say a few years.....The pages and penny sleeves became very brittle, but didn't stick to the cards or leave any residue.

I thought they also kept the cards from fading, but things got a little crazy clearing out the hobby room to make it into a babys room when she arrived 3 weeks early so I lost track of which were in sleeves and which had just been on top of the pile.

So I've put some 80's commons that are in G or less in various sleeves in a sunny window. I'm at about 1 1/2 years, and there's a little fading, but too early to tell if it's all over or just on the bits that stick out.

There are mylar sleeves that come in card sleeve sizes. Expensive, but archival for sure, and crystal clear. Lots of sizes that work for photos and other stuff too.
http://www.bcemylar.com/sleeves.cfm#timeloks

I have a few from years ago, but most cards go in a penny sleeve with a toploader for nicer cards.

Steve B