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How to Store an Autograph Collection

If you've taken the time to assemble an autograph collection, you will want to take good care of your memorabilia. No matter whether your collection consists of small, flat items like sports cards or photos, or larger items like posters or jerseys, there are steps you can take to ensure your treasures will last a lifetime.

Instructions

- 1
  Keep your collection out of direct sunlight. This is first and foremost your greatest concern. If you plan to display your items, this should be your top priority. Hang your pictures on walls or place your autographed baseballs on shelves that are not directly in the line of fire of the sun or they will fade.
- 2
  Keep your collection out of hot areas. You should keep your autographs in an area as close to standard room temperature as possible. Hot areas like attics can also cause signatures to fade.
- 3
  Store photographs in binders. If you do not intent to display your photos, buy a pack of sleeves with a three-hole punch that are made to hold 8 1/2 X 11 flat items (standard paper size). You can put your photos in these sleeves and keep them in your binder.
- 4
  Store autographed sports cards in similar pages as those above, but designed to hold cards. These card pages should also have the three-hole punch and each will hold nine cards. Make sure you get acid-free pages or the acid could cause the signatures to wear away.
- 5
  Store index cards in a photo album. The pages of photo albums are the perfect size for index cards, which can easily be placed in the albums for safekeeping.

Collecting Memorabilia