Have you just bought an autograph? 

I couldn’t be happier for you. 

And if you bought it from me I’m happy for me too! 

Everyone’s a winner when a relic from a beloved star finds a home with someone who will love and treasure it. 

Babe Ruth is a hero for the ages, one of the most collectible autographs in all of sport who lived a life worth celebrating. 

 

That’s what all our buyers want. 

That’s why they collect, but no-one’s born with a natural set of skills for preserving paper. 

So here are some questions and answers on how to safely store valuable autographs, including signed photographs. 

 

1. How do I get it home? 

We take great pride in seeing our autographs arrive with you in wonderful condition. 

But many of you will buy in person. Or even collect your own autographs. 

As soon as you have your hands - as briefly and as delicately as possible please - on an autograph the process of preserving it starts. 

Bare-hands handling is generally bad news for anything delicate.

This unusual Beatles set is extremely rare. More modern papers are often less durable than older, rag-made sheets. 

 

No matter how clean we keep our hands, there are oils there that in an ideal world we don’t want anywhere near precious paper. 

Wearing archival gloves when you meet someone feels odd. Not many people will do that. 

However, you should handle any autograph or signed photograph as little as possible and as gently as possible.  

If you know you’re shopping for documents then come equipped with a good quality binder of a decent size in which to get your items home. 

This is a short-term solution: it needs to be rigid enough to provide protection, but portable and relatively easy to access. If it’s acid-free then all the better, but bear in mind this is just a quick fix till your proper storage kicks in. 

 

2. What do I have here? 

This extremely rare Greta Garbo signature is in wonderful condition, but how do you make sure it stays that way. 

 

Before we answer question three I’d ask you to consider taking stock. 

As autograph collectors you’ll know that provenance (an item’s story) is very important and vital to establishing authenticity. 

If you’re going to make the right decisions about storage you need to be sure what you have.

So gather as much information as you can, get it written down, and be prepared to preserve a docket of extras that might be vital to reselling your autograph. 

Most autographs are on paper, but by no means all: signed shirts are a favourite of football fans. 

And some papers are much better quality than others (usually older ones, made before the switch to cheap wood pulp in the 1950s). 

So make sure you know what you have and what you're dealing with. 

 

3. Should I even have this? 

Not everyone wants extremely valuable items in their home. 

It is possible that your autograph is of a status that demands professional security or storage. 

You might even want to loan or donate it to a museum or collection. 

This is a select group of items from a select group of people. 

But like any portable item with potentially high values autographs can attract thieves. 

Be sure you’re happy to secure your items yourself.  

Marilyn Monroe is the most valued Hollywood star in the collectibles world, anything with her name on has the potential to be very valuable. 

 

4. Do I want to display it?

We sell items that are suitable for display, but putting items out always demands an extra level of protection. 

Like vampires, autographs (and paper and photographic paper and most precious things) hate direct sunlight. 

A good deal of paper preservation is “keep the light out”. (Most of the rest if keep the water out.)

Careful, appropriate framing adds to the appeal and maybe the longevity of your signature. Here's a Queen Victoria autograph very well presented.  

 

Fine if you’re happy with an album or cabinet for your precious collection, but to show them off you’ll need to find a compromise. 

Plenty are provided, most often in the form of UV-filtering glass or plastics. 

That should be in all your frames or display cases.  

As should acid-free or archival paper or card surrounds. 

Shadow boxes are deeper frames that offer more light protection, with actual physical shadow, and can hold substantial 3-D items as well as flat papers. 

 

5. Do I have to buy new stuff? 

Maybe. 

And it will be worth it. 

As with frames, all storage should be archival quality or acid free. 

There's plenty of specialist gear out there that is designed to function as a protective measure. 

 

That goes for albums, folders, binders and the like. 

The collecting community is big, and has some money. You won’t want for specific reviews and recommendations or brands to choose from for these autograph protecting products. 

 

6. This is going to be expensive isn’t it? 

Possibly, but most collectors are following their passions. 

Protecting and showing off their collections is very much worth it. 

This photograph demands to be displayed, surely? 

 

That might include custom made framing and display cases. 

Though there's an awful lot of great-quality, off-the-shelf storage at good-value prices out there. 

 

7. I don’t have to rebuild my house though do I? 

Well, again, it’s a matter of budget. 

You might think about UV windows in a room dedicated to your collection. 

And you should consider the physical surroundings of your collection: 

Damp and sunlight are your main enemies, so consider that when you set up your storage or display. 

We all hope our pipes won’t burst. If they do, it’s nice if your precious papers aren’t underneath them. 

Not everything is a flat piece of paper. This Pele boot is an appropriate vehicle for a great player's autograph but it presents different storage or display challenges. 

 

Because it’s good to keep your autographs at a constant temperature and humidity, most people will want to keep them together in a relatively small space. 

Happily, the ideal settings for your heat and humidity are a human-friendly 15°C - 20°C and about 40% to 50% humidity. 

Wine coolers or similar gadgets can provide this sort of control, but if that’s beyond your physical or financial capabilities then make sure you avoid the worst excesses of heat, cold and damp - attics and cellars are no good for papers. 

I don't know about you, but I'm no human thermometer, and you'll want accurate measuring instruments.  

Generally, papers are best stored vertically or certainly not stacked high to avoid compression. Albums and shelves divided boxes and so on help you separate and store safely. 

All your plans aren't worth much if you don't have accurate measures of temperature and humidity. 

 

Security might come into your calculations too - an obviously valuable item on visible display with easy access… it’s probably fine, but why tempt fate (or passing opportunist thieves). 

 

8. Where’s that special piece? 

You can’t preserve what you don’t know you have. 

A good autograph collection is an organised one. 

Hidden inside a book, will your relatives know what this Martin Luther King Jr. signature is if it comes to them? 

 

Keeping good records should be a part of the process of building your collection. And, as we’ve seen that includes preserving provenance, which will help with insurance and let future generations know what they’re looking at. 

Buy rare, exciting autographs today

As the world’s largest dealer in rare collectibles we have one of the most exciting collections of autographs for sale anywhere. 

Come and have a look. 

We can’t display everything we have, and some items sell before we can even get them online. 

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