Storage Systems

There are basically 5 different systems used at present (arranged in the order of popularity):

1.Loose Leaf Albums

Loose leaf pages are customarily made of plastic and come in a variety of sizes and configurations to suit the chosen Album. The most popular size accommodates 4 vertical postcards on one page. The more elaborate and more expensive Albums accommodate 6 vertical postcards on each page. A nice touch is the use of Slip boxes that make for a nice presentation on a storage shelf or in a book case.

2. Loose Leaf Mini-Albums

These Loose leaf pages are also made of plastic and come in more limited sizes and configurations to suit the chosen Mini-Album. They also can handle either vertical or horizontal postcards. Mini-albums are preferred by those collectors who have limited numbers of cards and like the ability to segregate cards using their own plan.

3. Cardboard Boxes

These are used by collectors who have the need to store large quantities of postcards. The standard postcard box holds approximately 800 postcards in thin (2 mil) sleeves. Fewer will fit in each box if heavier sleeves are used. The down side of boxes thet they must be removed from the box to be viewed.

4. File Drawers or File Cabinets are generally used by collectors with large collections demanding large amounts of space.

5. Electronic Systems have recently become more popular as computers and scanners have acquired greater storage capacity. We find more people scanning their cards and developing Electronic Data Bases and Checklists. This permits the collector to store Pictures in full color, (enhanced, enlarged, and even color corrected) for printing or viewing without needing to handle the actual stored postcard.

ABOUT POSTCARD DURABILITY

Postcards may appear to be a strong and substantial collectible but that is merely an illusion. The knowledgeable collector will think of them as being made of fragile paper pasted to cardboard with a thin top veneer of print, colored inks or thin photographic paper. Today we have many new plastic and composite products available to supplement the time tested storage techniques of the past. We will share some of our thoughts about safe storage techniques that may prove of interest to Postcard Collectors.

Sleeves

There are 5 different types of sleeves available in either standard or large Continental size (arranged in the order of cost):
a. The least expensive is the 2 mil polyethylene plastic;
b. Next is the 2 mil polypropylene plastic (crystal clear);
c. Then we have the 4 or mil polypropylene plastic (double thick plastic; d. Next is the Semi-Rigid 5 mil plastic holder;
e. Finally, the most expensive, the 10 - 16 mil heavyweight hard plastic holder.

Since there appear to be no true standards for most of these storage materials, you may wish to ask other collectors or dealers for their recommendations.

Plastic: There are many good plastic products now designed specifically for the storage of postcards. In addition there are many good albums, boxes, and other storage material made for photographs that can be adapted for cards. Likewise many artist materials traditionally made for the repair of books can also be applied to postcards. The only plastics that should come in contact with postcards are those made to remain stable such as polyester, polyethylene, and polypropylene. They are all used to manufacture a large amount of products ranging from postcard sleeves to album pages. Polyester, usually found under the trade name Mylar D, is a usable stable plastic but few postcard related products are made from it. The proper use of plastics are a card’s first line defense against damage.

Framing

Warning, framing postcards (even with non-glare glass or plastic) will cause postcards to ultimately fade. The ultra violet light rays cause chemical changes on the inks used in printing postcards.

Photo Albums

Warning,there are many albums made for photographs used by postcard collectors that have a sticky corrugated paper base under a plastic sheet. The irregular surface causes a transfer of yellowish stripes across the card’s back from chemical damage from the glue, and sometimes similar glossy stripes will appear across the front from pressure against the plastic (ferrotyping). Some albums have magnetic qualities to hold objects in place but they also are magnets for all sorts of pollutants that can speed up a card’s deterioration. Many plastic albums are still made from poly vinyl chlorides (PVC’s) that emit acidic fumes which damage the cards they hold. Cards should only be placed in album pages made from polyethylene or polypropylene as they will not transfer harmful chemicals to the card.

Box Separators or Dividers

There are 2 types available, the Thin style 4 7/16 inch x 6 inch, 25 gauge plastic and the Heavy style 4 7/16 inch x 6 inch, 30 gauge plastic separators. Based on years of experience, we recommend using only the Heavy style 4 7/16 inch x 6 inch, 30 gauge plastic separators that are straight cut. We have found both the Thin style and the indexed style to crack and break, even under normal use.