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Displaying autographed books - Best methods

Hello Everyone,

I was wondering if I can receive some advice from the community regarding various ways or methods you display your autograph book(s). Specifically, I am referring to a book which has been signed on an inside page and would need to be opened in order to be adequately displayed. Feel free to post pictures from your collections.

Thanks and have a great day!

Corey

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Permalink Reply by Paul on May 11, 2015 at 11:59pm

That's a great idea make scans. But where do you keep the original? In a safe. I don't know if anywhere is completely foolproof.

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Permalink Reply by Paul on May 12, 2015 at 12:07am

I had my expensive beatles autographs in a safe and then the safe jammed up so I put them in a dark cupboard and found mic, I thought great it will be eaten by mice. So I decided to frame them properly uv glass anti acid matting and put them on the wall to enjoy, if they get stolen their insured.

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Permalink Reply by Nate on May 12, 2015 at 12:07am

You are right nowhere is foolproof (even banks), but thieves generally fall into the 'smash and grab' category (by no means all are but most are), so they take what's easy to take and leave the rest. Without the knowledge most people I assume would take the nicely framed piece over a book, with many other books, in a bookcase believing the nicely framed piece will be worth more. But this is only de-risking the possible event it is by no means guaranteeing your prize piece(s) will not be taken.

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Permalink Reply by Paul on May 12, 2015 at 12:10am

I just seen a million dollar collection damaged by storm damage but most of it was fake so it would have been better written off completely.

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Permalink Reply by Steve on May 12, 2015 at 3:26am

I second this. I've got a decent number of signed books in my collection; I usually make a high-res scan of the signed page and mat/frame that with a photo of the author. Alternatively, you could get a book cradle and display it in a flat case of some sort, but as mentioned by Mike, it's not good for the book in the long term. It stresses the binding.

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Permalink Reply by Corey Moylan on May 12, 2015 at 6:14am

Love the ideas! I think a high resolution scan with a frame may be the best decision for both preserving the actual piece and creating a quality display for the signature. The piece I have is a signed Polly Samson and David Gilmour book, so its just going to be a one-off piece and not part of an extensive book collection. Where do you all recommend that I take the book to get a quality copy if I don't have a great scanner?

Thanks again everyone.

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Permalink Reply by Blinky on May 13, 2015 at 11:40am

Let's assume that someone has a nice signed book they are proud of, would like to display the signature (scanned image is a great idea) but it's not necessary to put in a bank vault. Just make sure it is stored on a shelf with very light pressure from surrounding books so that it is held vertical. Books that are stored too tight tend to have their covers bow out over time. Storage in a book case will take care of dust; if you don't have a bookcase a drape of fabric across the top of the row of books will keep the dust off (I think this was done in Victorian times). Moisture will be your biggest concern; if you are in a conditioned house you should be OK. Mylar wraps for the covers are OK since they can breath but don't wrap the entire book in a airtight container. As far the scanning - be careful. Most people will attempt to scan a book by pressing it tight to the glass, this can crack the binding, especially if it is a glued (perfect) binding.

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Permalink Reply by James on May 13, 2015 at 9:49pm

Blinky, do you think a clamshell case would not be a good idea then? I don't know if they are air tight or not, as I have never had one. I was thinking about storing my JFK signed book in a clamshell case to protect it all the way around. Would a slip case be a better idea? Have you ever used one of these items to protect an important book? I'd like to hear your thoughts. Thanks, James

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Permalink Reply by Blinky on May 14, 2015 at 7:16pm

James, that's a really good idea. Maybe I was going to the extremes in describing bank vault worthy books and everyday shelf worthy books, but yours is definitely towards the upper end. As long as the clamshell is not too big so as to let it lean sideways within the box when stored vertical on a shelf that would really be a classy way to go. A slipcase may still allow wear on the book surfaces when it is removed from the case, and the temptation to pull the book out from the top of the spine would be there too. A clamshell box - you pull it off the shelf, lay it flat, and open it - great protection for the book. Make sure that the clamshell is acid free. If the book would be in an area of great humidity fluctuations you might want to consider putting a desiccant packet in with the book. This might be overkill and it is just an idea that popped into my head but the next time you get something that has those silica gel desiccant packets keep them stored in a plastic bag until you get your clamshell. I do not know if they are acid free, you would probably want to talk this whole scheme through with a retailer that specializes in archival storage. Archival Methods has a good website, I'm sure there are others. Light Impressions used to be good, but a few years ago there were lots of complaints against them posted on the internet.

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Permalink Reply by Steve on May 15, 2015 at 2:51am

I'd definitely want to put something like that in a clamshell box - I did the same thing for a few of my more valuable books. Just be sure to get some unbuffered acid-free tissue paper with the clamshell box - you'll need to pad the book to make sure it doesn't move around if the box gets moved.

I'd suggest not using the silica gel packs unless you've already got a significant humidity problem in the space that the book is being stored in - you run the risk of taking too much moisture out of the air, which can make the paper brittle. Shoot for around 30% to 50% humidity. When you're boxing an item, you're creating a microclimate - temperature and humidity within the enclosure will change much more slowly that outside of the clamshell, so if the conditions outside the box are alright, conditions inside should be fine too.

Don't get acid free materials, get archival. "Acid free" means that the product was acid free when it left the factory - these materials become acidic over time as the lignin in the paper/cardboard breaks down. Archival/"museum" grade materials don't have that issue. I'd strongly suggest looking at Gaylords or University Products - I spent ten years at a museum working with archives and paper conservation, and they consistently had some of the best storage supplies we could find.

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Permalink Reply by Blinky on May 15, 2015 at 6:18am

All very good points, looks like you have the best info. I didn't think about the paper drying out, was only thinking of mildew. Now that you mention it I have a couple of books from 1900's that cannot be opened due to the pages cracking.