Handling Antique Papers in Antique Collecting

Paper in itself is a pretty difficult thing to handle and store. Add a couple of decades to it, raise the overall value and you get something doubly difficult. Antique books, maps, prints, and even documents need proper handling and storage in order to minimize decay and make them last. The following are some basic techniques of handling antique papers and antique collecting.

As much as possible minimize handling the papers with your bare hands. Come to think of it, never handle antique papers with your bare hands. The human skin secretes oils that can be damaging to sensitive antique items, especially paper. For one, the oil leaves marks on the surface and two the chemical reaction of the oil with the paper might be unpredictable. When handling antique papers, its best that you use cotton gloves.

If you have seen an old newspaper, you know how brittle the pages are because of age. Real antique papers will be more brittle and thus more difficult to transport or move around. It is ideal to place something like a supporting cardboard or another tough paper underneath the antique to keep it properly supported.

Harsh light can cause damage to antiques including papers so make sure the antique won't be exposed to the sun or any harsh lights. Smoke and air pollutants can cause considerable damage as well.

Taking these things into consideration, the ideal place that we could store such antique papers and documents would be in a cool dry room. If you're rich and have the money, you can custom build a storage compartment for the sake of storing the papers. If you're not that rich, you might want to settle for the basement or the attic.

Aside from harsh light and damaging smoke, humidity is another element that you need to be aware of. Having low humidity levels will keep the paper clean from the brown discolorations that we often call foxing. Another great benefit of keeping humidity low is the fact that it prevents mold growth on the paper.

Other things that you need to avoid include using metal clips as binding for the antique papers, eating in front of the paper, drinking is also a no-no. Just imagine spilling a can of soda over the antique paper, so avoiding these things is the best course of action.

These are just some of the things that you have to remember when handling antique papers so imagine how many more things you will need to study if you get involved in antique collecting. But save those worries for another day.