Caring For Your Sports Collections

Collecting sports memorabilia is a fun and rewarding hobby that millions of Americans participate in each year. There’s a huge community both online and off, and it’s full of people who genuinely want to show off their collections and help others get started.

If you’re new to collecting, you may have a few questions about getting started. One of the most important questions you need answered is about proper care for your collection. How do you keep it all in great shape? Luckily, that’s our specialty at BallQube, so we thought we’d give you a few pointers to keep in mind as you start building your collection.

Case Your Collection Up

Our first and foremost recommendation is to get display cases for the items in your collection. There simply are too many things that can happen to unprotected treasures in a home. Our cases come in all shapes and sizes, so chances are there’s going to be one for whatever piece of memorabilia you need to protect from sources of potential damage.

But putting them in cases isn’t just about protection, it also makes it easy to arrange and clean your collection. Think of it this way—you want the dust to accumulate on the outside of your case, not on the item itself. Then it’s just a simple matter of finding the time to do some light dusting.

Keep It High And Dry

Moisture is bad for pretty much anything in your collection. That’s because excess moisture speeds decay and can easily destroy the value of something you intended to keep for years. Unfinished basements or garages aren’t the proper place for a budding collection. They tend to be less temperature controlled and can become more humid, as well.

But Not Too Dry

But don’t think that exposing them to high temperatures or direct sunlight is the answer. Sunlight is a natural enemy of colors and signatures, and those UV rays can fade both of them in a relatively short period of time.

The best idea is to treat your collection as you would with any other valuable item in your home. Keep it in a room with a mild temperature that you can control when the weather outside shifts from one extreme to the other. Keep items away from direct sunlight if you can, or get cases with UV protection.

Avoid Over-Handling

This rule can be hard to follow, and it’s really up to you how strictly you want to enforce it. On the one hand, constant touching and handling of items can cause wear and fade or smudge autographs. But on the other hand, sometimes you just have to get that autographed bat down from the case to let your nephew take a few swings. You have to decide where you want to draw your line, but it may be best to err on the side of caution.

Starting a collection that needs some protection? We have everything you need to keep your memorabilia in pristine condition. And if you have any other tips for caring for your collection, then leave them for the rest of us in the comments!