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Using mylar sleeves and toploaders for archiving autographed photos longterm?

I've read that mylar is the safest product to archive autographs since this material is inert. I'd like to get some mylar (as opposed to polypropylene) for long term photo storage and put them into top loaders for the extra protection. The top loaders are 8x10 with an actual inner dimension of 8 1/8" in width.

The problem is, I'm having a lot of trouble finding mylar sleeves (3-side envelope type similar to penny sleeves) that are large enough to fit a 8" wide photo, BUT small enough to fit inside a 8 1/8" toploader. I've found quite a few places that sell mylar sleeves, but all these are 3/8" oversized making them slightly too wide for toploaders.

Does anyone here use mylar sleeves along with toploaders and recommend a place where I can purchase mylar sleeves that fit closer to photos without much excess? i.e 8x10 sleeves that are perhaps 8 1/16" in width, 5x7 sleeves that 5 1/16" in width, etc...

I understand I can go for a larger toploader, but for cost and display reasons, I want to avoid that. Also, I'm looking for 3-sided mylar envelopes (not L-sleeves, or flaps). Any help would be much appreciated!

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Permalink Reply by Tacoma Blues on April 8, 2019 at 10:12pm

Not sure if there are similar company's in Canada, but I have had very good experience with products from Bags Unlimited. They are based out of the US. They have an extensive on-line catalog including a lot of mylar options. I personally use mylar but I leave the tops open to allow the pieces to breathe. There are a number of threads on why this is important. You can find Bags Unlimited at:

https://www.bagsunlimited.com/

Hope this helps or at least gives you a starting point in your search.

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Permalink Reply by bndroid on April 8, 2019 at 10:29pm

Thanks. I had considered Bagunlimited but unfortunately they are one of those many places where their mylar sleeves are 3/8" oversized :( This is about 2/8 of an inch too big to fit into a top loader sadly.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on April 9, 2019 at 5:46am

I would avoid the top loaders entirely. Unless you are a dealer who is frequently transporting the photos and you need to protect them from corner bends, etc., it is overkill. For my more valuable items, I use a mylar sleeve and put it in archival photo storage boxes from Bags Unlimited. This is plenty of protection from environmental and physical damage.

One concern with the PVC toploaders are they would still offgas harmful chemicals as the toploader degrades over time. Even if the photo is inside a mylar sleeve and not in physical contact with the PVC, it is still marinating in the gasses from the PVC.

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Permalink Reply by bndroid on April 9, 2019 at 6:14am

Thanks, I've considered that but every now and then I like to hold the autograph in my hands and using a toploader over a mylar sleeve would allow others to also be gentle with it without risking any accidental physical damage. I've seen a couple of places that offer toploaders that claim it won't damage photos. I don't know if these are made of a slightly different material than regular PVC toploaders but here are a couple of links:

https://www.bcwsupplies.com/8x10-photo-topload-holder

https://www.guardhouseholders.com/guardhouse-autograph-top-loader-8...

Also, replacing the toploader every several years would be easier than replacing the inner sleeve without risking the chance of additional fingerprints to the photo.

For the mylar sleeves from Bagunlimited, do you use the 8x10 and 5x7 ones? Can you confirm they are indeed 8 3/8" and 5 3/8" in width respectively?

Have you ever used the bagsunlimited .040 Super Acid Free backing boards along with the mylar sleeves? Any idea if these are indefinite and can be stored alongside photos without causing damage to them?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on April 9, 2019 at 6:24am

I use the Tuck Lock sleeves, which fit almost exactly with very little margin. Mylar is not slippery and sliding a photo into a sleeve closed on three sides can sometimes be difficult with risk of putting thumb bends in it trying to push it down. With the Tuck Lock sleeves, that is not an issue.

If you are going to use Toploaders, just keep an eye on them and replace if they start to get yellow or cloudy. That is a sign they are breaking down.

I have not used the boards you referred to.