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problems with baseball card storage boxes?

Back when I was a kid, I was into comic books, and read about how you needed to get acid free stuff to store your collection in. I notice that all the baseball card penny sleeves say "archival quality" or something to that effect. How about the typical white storage boxes? Does anyone have any experience with your card board boxes going bad and damaging the cards inside?

I had boxes of 1989 Score, 1990 Fleer, and some other sets on white card stock from that era that had picked up a faint yellow color. However, I've attributed this to the fact that my mom is a smoker, and these cards were in my old bedroom at her house until just a few years ago. 13 years of smoke probably did those cards in (they smelled like it too), but the cards seemed to be even nastier looking if their face or back were directly in contact with the side of the box they were stored in.

Since rescuing my collection, I've trashed all of the old boxes and replaced them with new ones, but I figured I'd ask. If the yellowing is a result of the boxes, then I've got to figure out a new storage strategy.
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Comments

  • HoofHeartedHoofHearted Posts: 2,537 ✭✭
    digi,

    I just dug out some of my early '80s sets that have been stored in the same white boxes since the cards were issued. I didn't notice any discoloring of any kind. I always use the ad inserts, puzzle pieces, etc. that come in the packs at each end of the box to protect those cards, and to make it easier to get cards out of a tightly-packed box.

    I've always lived in a (cigarette) smoke-free home, so you may be on to something with your mother's smoking. If the cards still have the odor, that's hopefully a definite clue as to what caused the coloring.

    Thanks for bringing that up! It's a good idea to check on these things every few years or so...

    hh
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