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Top Loaders and fading signatures

I was curious to know if the clear plastic top loaders are known to fade autographs off of glossy surfaces? Back in February I got a 24x36 glossy poster signed, i waited 24 hours before putting it in the top loader purchased at comic con (of a unknown brand, purchased from a comic con vendor). I pulled the poster out today, only to find that the signature (signed in silver sharpie) had faded away.....is this typically known to happen? Or is it silver sharpies that fade on glossy surfaces? Any particular way to care for these types of autographs?

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Permalink Reply by Brick Hunter on August 19, 2014 at 11:23pm

I've moved away from top loaders in recent years, but not because of a fading signature problem. I've had items in a top loader for many years with signatures still as crisp as the day I put it in. Perhaps it is a sharpie problem? I must confess very few autographs in my collection are signed with that instrument. It wasn't even invented yet during the time when a lot of the signatures in my collection were signed, heh.

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Permalink Reply by Mike P on August 20, 2014 at 12:39am

Silver Sharpie is a pain on photographs; they almost always streak and skip when an autograph is signed on a glossy surface when I have used them. Stick with a silver paint pen if you want something signed in silver. Black and blue sharpies, in my experience, always worked a bit better than silver sharpies; however, black sharpies tend to streak a bit too on glossy surfaces.

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Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on August 20, 2014 at 3:45am

top loaders can pull some of the sharpie off the photo and it will stick to the the plastic, but never seen one fade.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Soberg on August 20, 2014 at 2:56pm

If you want to get something signed with a sharpie you need to pay the extra few bucks and get the "industrial" sharpie. Different ink blend inside. Designed to be washed and still be permanent. Won't fade or bleed on jerseys. They sell them at Staples.

Silver sharpies fade over time as do the standard black ones.

Blue sharpies are the worst same with the red ones. Sign a 3x5 card with a red sharpie. Put in your window in sunlight for a week and then check it out. It will be completely gone! Like it was never signed!

Paint pens work good.