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Protecting autographs against fading best tips \ advice

Hello to the community.

I am a regular reader of these forums but only an occasional poster. I have found the advice and expertise here invaluable over the years. So thank you.

My question here is related to autograph preservation - and I apologise if this is a topic which has been done to death(!) I own a set of Beatles autographs - a real life goal for me - and am wondering what the absolute peak conditions are to preserve then from damage \ fading \ decline. The signatures are in an autograph book. It is currently kept in an acid free box, in the house, not on display. Can things like temperature have an impact? Is there more I can be doing to look after it??!!

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on January 12, 2024 at 6:31am

Heat and humidity can have an impact on paper. Ideally you want 60 - 70 degrees F with 40 - 60% relative humidity.

Too much heat and/or humidity and foxing and/or tanning may develop... too cold and dry and the paper will "dry freeze" and can get brittle.

Obviously UV light is the highest risk to fading prematurely.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on January 12, 2024 at 6:40am

Steve shares much wisdom. Carbon black signatures will not readily fade. The ink is something I think about before purchase.

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Permalink Reply by HangingOnTheWall on January 13, 2024 at 12:32am

Thanks for the replies.

How long could an autograph last if you care for it to the best of your ability? Are we talking forever, hundreds of years etc?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on January 13, 2024 at 5:39am

It depends on the medium and what was used to sign it. Newsprint and cheap acidic paper will degrade in decades even under good storage conditions. Photographic prints will last longer. Pencil signatures on art prints could last a very long time.