encapsulated and graded autographs

can one remove them from the outer case  or are they stuck in?

Views: 332

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by eddy on August 7, 2025 at 1:49pm

Here's a thread I started awhile back and had some traction on regarding this very subject.

There's also a fun video of someone's method of breaking items out of their case.

https://live.autographmagazine.com/forum/topics/how-to-crack-a-psa-...

Permalink Reply by eddy on August 7, 2025 at 1:59pm

p.s. I have one encapsulated item.  It's a PSA and contains a relatively invaluable autograph.  It came encapsulated.  The plastic has scuffs and the album page has shifted and won't "settle" right. I hate the encapsulation, to be quite honest.  

Permalink Reply by JK on August 7, 2025 at 2:10pm

Scuffs and scratches can be polished out, but the crooked contents issue certainly is annoying.

Permalink Reply by eddy on August 8, 2025 at 6:34am

I do have a question related to this for those who are familiar with long-term encapsulated items.  I know there is some concern about leaving items in top loaders indefinitely as far as possible degradation to paper.  Is there any concern or anecdotal evidence that vintage paper in encapsulation degrades more rapidly than if it was "free" of the plastic?

Permalink Reply by JK on August 8, 2025 at 8:09am

I do not know what the toploader concerns are - are they related to contamination from non-inert plastics?

I believe that the materials used in slabs/encapsulations are inert and archival (the TPA websites should hopefully address that).  If that is the case then I would think that most encapsulated items are better off than "free" ones.  

There are two types of holders/slabs that I am familiar with.  In one, the item is sandwiched between two sheets of thin plastic inside the hard shell.  That should essentially be airtight.  The other type (such as for thicker items) has a plastic "frame" to hold the item in place.

I don't think that slabs are specifically airtight but they certainly would dramatically reduce the exposure to air so I would think that would be better for preservation.

Permalink Reply by michelle on August 8, 2025 at 8:23am

these plastic  covers are a pain

Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on August 8, 2025 at 8:28am

I wonder the same about  certain types of earlier often sulfur rich paper (such as album pages), whose natural degradation releases additional chemicals like sulfuric acid which can lead to acid hydrolysis, so storing them in a closed or sealed environment might not be so good, I know with coins those slabs are gas permeable and not as sealed as some think. I remember seeing a run of PCGS ASE's toned with target toning (concentric rings)in blues, purples and greens toned in the slab after grading. so your question is a good one. I would err on the side of caution. In museum contexts, such papers are usually kept between acid free calcium rich sheets/materials for this reason. Things "sealed," like the the Constitution, are in argon. I would like to learn more about this.

Permalink Reply by JK on August 8, 2025 at 3:11pm

Comment deleted/readded to make statement clearer:

The sealed slab (with label) is what guarantees that the item inside is the same item that the TPA authenticated.

For authenticated items, the alternatives are a sticker on the item, or a letter of authenticity that includes an image of the autograph.  

RSS

© 2025   Created by Steve Cyrkin, Admin.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Service