Best way to preserve an autographed photo, but still display it ?

[starikurac]

Gentlemen,

What is the best way to preserve an expensive autographed photo/postcard, but still have it displayed?
So, ideal compromise between conservation and display.

Thanks!

Nico

[pak 40]

imo the best way is to make a scan of it and then put the orginal in a map
in a other way copy it once and display that one .

[starikurac]

Sounds good and this way in cannot get damaged also

[Mark C. Yerger]

go to a sports card store, they have stiff, non-acid holders. I put them in those, then in photo album/binder that holds four 5x7s per page. Can see them, protected, safe, re-arrange easily by alphabet, unit, service, etc. Have had some of mine 35+ years and are like the day I got them.

[scotty1418]

If of high dollar or sentimental value, might consider quality copy with the original in a firesafe/SDB.

If you're just concerned about preservation, the museum-quality non damaging plastic holders would be good.

[WARNACH]

Hello friends,
I have all my documents on display between 2 sheets of glass.
The back is 2 mm thick "normal" glass.
The front is 2 mm thick museum glass that filters out 95 % of the (aging) UV-light. To avoid direct sunlight remains however important.
Extra advantage : the documents are this way dust protected.
Furthermore is this museumglass antiglare treated; even under a certain angle you can without problem read the text or even make clean photos.
Negative aspect: the cost. (and if you have hundreds of costly documents ... I only collect Berlin battle paperwork)
Cheers
Peter

[Brig]

Archival picture frame with UV resistant glass, acid free matte and backing...and display in an area with minimal light exposure, or LED lighting. LED lighting is not harsh and does not cause the damage of flourescent bulbs

Archival frames can get pricey...I bought one for 115+ year old document...but well worth it. If we're going to invest in our collections, we might as well invest in their preservation

[Jon Fish]

Another important facture is to not have the document directly on to the front glass, I took a very rare document out of a frame stored like this for 30 years and a vivid shadow of the document had been left on the glass, another 30 years and that damage may have bee a lot worse and ruined the document. I'm guessing it can attract moisture this way.

[Brig]

Jon's correct, direct contact with glass can be problematic, particularly in humid settings due to condensation. An acid free matte helps with this