"Foxing" on sports cards? 1948 Leaf, specifically.
digicat
Posts: 8,551 ✭✭
I know that foxing is a problem on old paper collectables, and in an old thread it was mentioned that it's not common in sports cards.
However, I was looking through some of my early post-war cards, and noticed some brown spots on the borders of a 1948 Leaf baseball card.
Take a look along the top border on the scan below, there's a few darker brown spots along the top and right borders. They're not printed, and magnification doesn't really tell me anything other than it's a brown spot.
Is this "foxing", just a random stain, or a common characteristic of 1948 Leaf? This is the only 48 Leaf card I have, so I don't have much of a point of reference.
I've seen similar spotting on some slabbed 48 Leafs, so that tells me that either it's not foxing, PSA treats it as a minor stain, or that it developed after the card was slabbed.
However, I was looking through some of my early post-war cards, and noticed some brown spots on the borders of a 1948 Leaf baseball card.
Take a look along the top border on the scan below, there's a few darker brown spots along the top and right borders. They're not printed, and magnification doesn't really tell me anything other than it's a brown spot.
Is this "foxing", just a random stain, or a common characteristic of 1948 Leaf? This is the only 48 Leaf card I have, so I don't have much of a point of reference.
I've seen similar spotting on some slabbed 48 Leafs, so that tells me that either it's not foxing, PSA treats it as a minor stain, or that it developed after the card was slabbed.
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Comments
infected.
There are a few spots that could be - are likely - foxing. (I
dunno what the bulk of the spots are, but they do not look
like foxing.)
Some of the spots at the top and left edges look particularly
foxy.
Based on decades of fighting foxed items - and trying to sell
them to brave folks - I stand by my position that a foxed
item is a wrecked item, unless it is extremely rare.
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The folks at
Period Fine Bindings
and other experts have some success at mitigating/removing
foxing. Eliminating foxing is another matter.
....
Removing Foxing
There are many types of mildew and all are commonly known as "Foxing", the mildew gets its name from the (F)errous (Ox)ide or the iron it is attracted to in the paper, usually chemical wood pulp, and all are activated by the same cause...relative humidity.
Paper and leather are hygroscopic, a hygroscopic material is one that attracts moisture from the atmosphere.
If not protected from contact with a damp atmosphere, books left in damp conditions will eventually disintegrate.
Removing Foxing
There has been no definite cure for for neutralising the mildew spore, Zhaensdorf himself developed a formula for the removal of foxing in the 19th Century, two of the ingredients were hydrochloric acid and calcium chloride which is no wonder that the fibres of the paper break down after a while and the paper starts to disintegrate and the ink or what ever medium can be rubbed off!
Removing Foxing
But.....
The "Secret" to successfully removing foxing is 3 fold.
Firstly you need to understand the structure of the manufacture of the many different types of paper, because what you take out you must definitley replace with the correct ingredients.
Secondly before neutralizing the spore, a mordant must be created to "fix" the medium to the paper albeit ink pigments, water colour pigments, et al.
Removing Oxidation
What sometimes looks like Foxing or Mildew...not always is, there is a definite difference.
Oxidation is the interaction between oxygen molecules and all the different substances they may contact, from metal to living tissue.
Illustrations in early printing were printed from wood block which progressed into copper plates which progressed into engravings on steel. The copper plates are the problem as oxidation occurs in copper, the result is a greenish coating on the metal called copper oxide but on paper it becomes a brownish hue.
The secret of preventing oxidation is to provide a layer of protection between the exposed material and the air, the only way of doing this with paper is to tip in a "tissue guard" between the engraving and the next page, the tissue will oxidiate over time as will the plate but not the next page.
Experts agree that like foxing, to successfully neutralize and remove oxidation is impossible....
Well almost.
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I would NEVER buy a foxed item, unless it was so rare
AND desired that no other example would be likely available.
Foxing is contagious. Foxed items can/will infect their
neighbors in albums, piles, and boxes.
Touching foxed items is a hazard. The spores can get in your
eyes and cause a problem. Breathing the stuff is prolly not good
for kids/adults.
....................
I have burned THOUSANDS of foxed items.
Some high end repairs can be spotted if the fields look too WHITE.
This can happen if a bleaching agent is used. Such methods can
actually turn the foxing white BUT not really remove it.
It's like pouring bleach in a stained toilet bowl, without scrubbing it.
It looks white, but the scuzzy stuff is still there.
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spelling edit: to = too
Thou in collecting old books as with anything paper - books, cards, maps, prints etc. moisture is terrible. You will find some pieces foxed via printing process, but other fungus, staining and paper break down comes with exposure to moisture on edges and keeping collectables in a non-dry space. So --- dry = important but we all know that.
What I see in your card doesn't look to me like foxing. PSA treats foxing as a defect and in the cases of a few of my cards I've never received higher than a 3 on anything exhibiting foxing characteristics. (1915 Cracker Jacks). In my limited run with the '48 leaf what I see displayed in your card is typical and I have several like it.
Edited to add: My bad, I thought you said "foxy".
<< <i>I can't speak for the 1948 Leaf or any other sports cards, but I have seen it on this set:
Edited to add: My bad, I thought you said "foxy". >>
I'll see your foxy Chrissy and trump you with a 10 . . . (figured this was much more "board safe" than the spread eagle split on the beach):
Usually - but not always - I can smell an item and determine if
suspicious spots/discoloration are foxing related.
If you have some foxed items to practice on, you prolly can do
the same.
A "musty" smell maybe a clue, but it is NOT definitive. Most fox
spores have a "distinct" and similar - each to the other - odor.
Sometimes it is subtle; sometimes it makes you wanna erp.
Working in rooms full of the stuff can allow the smell to stay in
your sinuses for days.
.....................
Touching suspect items is also useful in identifying foxing.
After handling a dozen or so items, you should feel a grainy -
but mostly invisible - substance on your hands. If you handle
a BUNCH of items, you can often see the stuff on your hands.
The grainy stuff - grit - is microscopic and subtle; it just feels
"weird" and you will know something is up if you get it on your
hands.
Don't put your hands in your eyes or nose, until you wash
thoroughly.
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Scott, I think you are confusing "foxy" with "stunning".
digicat, sorry to hijack the tread.
<< <i>Scott, I think you are confusing "foxy" with "stunning".
digicat, sorry to hijack the tread. >>
You hijacked a "cardboard cancer" thread with pictures of pretty ladies from before they were old. No apology necessary.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
I'm more of a collector of books than sports cards and if one of my books has foxing present it stays in individual containers in the basement and off the book shelves. Foxing is the hardest flaw (other than DJ) to avoid in older books and I will only buy a book with little foxing if it is truly a hard to find one. I have heard where it can spread, but like bigjaco said, I've never had this problem.
This page has sundry "tips" on how to get rid of foxing.
I would not try them on anything valuable.
BUT, the page provides clues as to why chemically treated
cards are so hard to sneak past the lights at PSA.
Treated with certain chemicals, the cardboard no longer
reflects light; or reflects some light differently than it
would if not treated.
page
<< <i>I always believed foxing was iron based. mildew and mold are different imo. >>
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wiki.............
Causes of Foxing
"....The causes of foxing are not well understood. One theory is that foxing is caused by a fungal growth on the paper. Another theory is that foxing is caused by the effect on certain papers of the oxidation of iron, copper, or other substances in the pulp or rag from which the paper was made. It is possible that multiple factors are involved. High humidity may contribute to foxing...."
<< <i>I've heard that foxing causes wood production, not the destruction of same. >>
Depends on the safty measures you take.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
<< <i>
<< <i>I've heard that foxing causes wood production, not the destruction of same. >>
Depends on the safty measures you take.
Hmmmm, did Ted use those on his lumber? Perhaps that's where the term hitting a "safety" came from. There's a joke in there about Ted's current situation, but I won't go there. I just don't have the head for it.
Mike