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Years ago my wife and I were on a walk on the backwoods of central Virginia. We found an old junk pile where farmers from earlier generations had dumped their trash. To our surprise, we found a half-gallon mason jar still filled with whole peaches. Inside the jar you could see the sickening sight of peaches that had simply been on this earth too long. Just out of curiosity, though, we opened the jar, and the wonderful odor of peaches and spices came wafting out. Even though the peaches were not much to look at, the mason jar had done its job well. By excluding all oxygen, it kept the peaches from spoiling, even over the course of decades.
As political collectors, we have an obligation to future generations to preserve our political collectibles much as a farm wife had preserved those peaches. Of course, the heat and pressure of a canner would not be of any benefit to political collectibles. But there are steps the collector can take to help insure political items do not rust, crack, break, stain, or otherwise became unattractive or illegible. The most important step is to control the environment in which collectibles are stored.
Heat and humidity are two important variables to consider when pondering the storage environment. Fortunately, a good rule of thumb is that levels of heat and humidity that are comfortable to humans will also prove to be good for the storage of buttons, posters, and other types of political memorabilia. Extremes of heat and cold can lead to cracks in celluloid buttons, and to "crazing" on litho buttons. (Crazing on lithos means fine cracks in the paint.) Excessive dryness of the air can lead to some of the same problems. Excessive moisture in the air can contribute to foxing, rust, mildew, and similar misfortunes.
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One thing collectors don't often consider is that change in the environment can be even worse than constantly bad conditions. Constant changes in heat and humidity make objects swell and contract, and this movement is not good for the material, whether it is paper, celluloid, or painted tin. Thus what we are aiming for overall is a moderate environment of heat and humidity, and one that is not subjected to wild swings in conditions. To avoid extremes, do not keep your buttons in attics, basements, outbuildings, or "U-Store-It" facilities. It is hard to avoid ever taking your buttons and other memorabilia into a hot car, but do what you can to avoid this.
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Bookworms, as well as silverfish, can attack anywhere, but are more common in outbuildings than in homes. With their voracious appetites, they may leave little of your favorite FDR poster to survive into the next generation.
Light is another environmental factor that can lead to horrendous changes in our treasured items, and in the space of a very short period. Avoid displaying your political items on the wall where sunlight regularly hits them. Avoid having your collection constantly lit by artificial light too. Where possible, avoid using fluorescent lighting around your prized items. For the best preservation, keep your items in a dark place, and bring them out only when you want to look at them. When you do display items on the wall, consider changing the display twice a year to reduce the degree of possible light damage. Certain types of items are more light-tolerant than others. Medallions and tokens will not be harmed by light, nor will goldbugs or completely metallic jewelry. Lithos are not light resistant, but they are much more resistant than are cellos. Black and white printing is more resistant to fading than color printing. You will also find that some colors fade more readily than others. Red is the color that fades the most, and many of us have "pink, white, and blue" buttons in our collection that attest to the fading qualities brought on by light.
Other things to consider: Avoid using stick-on labels on your buttons. They will leave a sticky residue that is hard to remove, and in the case of painted objects such as litho buttons, they can pull the paint off. Stickers may be more acceptable on the backs of buttons, but never put a sticker onto a manufacturer's backpaper. Take care when mailing buttons, always using bubble wrap or boxes. Other types of padded mailers do not work as well, and corrugated cardboard protectors (when used alone) are not particularly gentle.
Should you ever clean a button? Perhaps, but always be aware of the risks you run. Certainly, you should never clean buttons as a matter of routine, but only when one really seems to need it. There can be little harm in cleaning a litho button that has no paint flaws, using a piece of flannel and a tiny amount of water, as long as you immediately dry the button. Cleaning celluloid buttons with anything other than your moist breath and a dry flannel cloth is risky. The celluloid may have a small crack or hole that you hadn't noticed, and water and other liquids could seep in and stain the button paper itself. There is no remedy for a button that has been stained in this way. Never, never allow any liquid to get near the collet (collar) on the back of a celluloid button. It is an easy matter for moisture to seep in from this area.
Should other items ever be cleaned? Perhaps, but go slow and wherever possible seek advice from an advanced collector first. Posters and other paper items can sometimes be cleaned with a very soft art gum eraser, but even this treatment has its risks. One such risk is creating a wrinkle or tear in the paper as you are rubbing it. Metallic jewelry, tokens, busts, and similar objects should probably be left as they are. While you certainly could shine them up using a metal polish, what we really want is for our items to look old--to look historical. Few collectors of tokens would put much esteem on a freshly polished William Henry Harrison medalet. I have had some successes--but also some failures--when cleaning cloth objects such as ribbons, or the felt backing of a Landon button. Always move slowly and carefully when considering cleaning any object, and be prepared for the fact that the operation may not turn out as you had hoped. If your object is especially rare, you probably owe it to future generations to leave it the way it is, and not run the risks associated with cleaning.
| © 1997 by Stephen Cresswell |