How To Preserve Your Sports Memorabilia Investment

Memorabilia is frequently used to describe items collected or kept for their association with specific events or people. Often people will not tie the object’s value to the memorabilia but to its memories. These keepsakes can provide meaningful milestones, ones we want to hold onto for many years to come.

Sports memorabilia consists of jerseys, helmets, sports equipment, photos, and trading cards aligned with a specific sport or team. People often collect these items not only for sentimentality as a sign of support for their favorite teams but also for the value these items hold economically.

Consequently, the longer we hold onto valued items like signed sports memorabilia, the more likely they will be worn down, damaged, or lost in an accident. Whether you have your collectibles for support or as an investment, preserving your sports keepsakes to remain intact will ensure they are accessible to you and others in the future.

How to Protect Sports Memorabilia from Being Damaged

Have you often kept your signed sports memorabilia packed away in storage to protect it from being damaged? Regardless of your reason for holding onto athletic equipment, apparel like a signed jersey, or the ever-popular autographed cards, you likely want to ensure these precious items remain durable.

One of the more important aspects of holding onto memorabilia is being able to look at these items fondly. Instead of hiding your signed collectibles in your dusty attic or storage room, you should display them in your home for you and your guests to look at as desired.

It can be intimidating to put valuables on display. Nevertheless, you can protect your signed sports memorabilia from harm by becoming aware of these potential dangers.

Avoid Direct Sunlight

Did you know that harmful UV rays can drain the color of your signed jersey or baseball card collection? The fear of sunlight ruining valued keepsakes is a common reason people hide their sports collectibles in a dark closet. When placing your clothing memorabilia in a storage container, ensure you have washed any worn items and let them dry before packaging them.

While it can feel risky to display your items in your home, you can ensure your collectible is safe from possible fading by positioning it in an area that doesn’t face direct sunlight. Avoid placing it in a space that meets windows for maximum protection against the sun’s harsh rays, and enjoy looking at your signed sports memorabilia as much as you want.

Frame with Glass or Acrylic

If you are worried about damaging your sports keepsakes, you will want to place the item behind a glass or acrylic display case barrier. When you decide to frame your memorabilia, clothing items like jerseys or pants create stylistic and unique displays.

Suppose you wish to display an article of clothing, sports equipment, or a signed card by your favorite player. In that case, a display case will allow you to draw attention to the item without the risk of an accidental spill, absorbed moisture, or sunlight. Additionally, display cases have great versatility in showcasing your signed sports memorabilia. You can choose between both tabletop and wall-mounted cases depending on your object.

When considering the advantages of framing, you will likely face a dilemma of which material to choose, glass or acrylic. Both options present amazing benefits. Acrylic can reflect soft light and is more durable when accidentally knocked into, while glass offers a high-quality aesthetic and is difficult to scratch.

Control the Humidity in Your Room

Humidity plays a critical role in the durability of signed sports memorabilia. The water quality in the air within your personal space can significantly affect the atmosphere of your room. This danger is primarily a concern if you want to preserve autographed cards. The more humid your room is, the greater the chances of mold and mildew contacting your valuable keepsakes.

Consider storing your trading cards and other paper memorabilia in precisely sized boxes and packages inside a binder. As a result, it will reduce their interactions with your environment’s temperature. It can also help keep your store’s items’ room temperature at around 50% humidity.

Properly Clean Your Sports Memorabilia

Once you have appropriately framed or wrapped your signed sports memorabilia and placed it in a safe space to view when desired, you will want to extend these items’ lifespan by cleaning them as needed. Dirt and dust, in combination with other factors, can significantly affect your signed sports memorabilia, especially the older the item is.

If you have vintage sports souvenirs, you will want to ensure that these delicate items remain in sanctuary condition to ensure their colors last and that no odors cling to them. Doing so is especially important for those who carry athletic tokens for investment purposes.

Properly Treat Vintage Leather

As you learn to preserve valuable items, you must ensure you properly care for vintage equipment. It would help to treat the leather covers of things, such as baseballs, gloves, or pigskin footballs, with great care.

Anytime you handle vintage leather memorabilia, wear white cotton gloves and remove dirt and dust with a soft brush or cloth. Doing so ensures that the natural oils on your hands don’t transfer to your prized keepsakes.

Avoid cleaning vintage leather with oils and creams. Instead, use a leather conditioner free of wax and silicone and let your memorabilia dry away from sunlight and heat sources.

Start Your Collection

Do you want to find high-quality and affordable signed sports memorabilia? Sports Integrity provides authentic, hard-to-find autographed and non-autographed sports items. Our large selection of collectibles includes valuable items such as signed jerseys, marked cards, shoes, helmets, equipment, trading cards, and magazines in many sports.

Whether you want to support your favorite football team or collect and preserve a valued item, we supply unique memorabilia to manage and maintain in your home or office.

For more information on our available discounts, promotions, and available items, contact us today.