Storing & Preserving Game Used Jerseys

[dcgreg25]

In the past, I never gave much thought to preservation of my jerseys. My standard method for storing jerseys included placing them in large zip-lock bags and placing these bags in large plastic bins away from the sunlight. One day, while discussing this “storage method” with my wife, a museum exhibit designer, she schooled me in some basics regarding the proper care and preservation of textiles/jerseys. This caused me to dig a little deeper and evaluate how I was storing my jerseys.

Artifact conservation and preservation is a vast field and I am far from an expert. However from the limited research I have conducted, there are some common sense basics I have learned and applied to my collection. Most of the jerseys in my collection are modern-era (1980-present) but as they age, I wanted to make sure I was taking proper care of them. What follows is a brief primer on taking care of your game used jerseys to maximize their lifespan. This article may be overkill for many. However, given the value of some of the jerseys owned by members of this site, I figured I would share what I have learned.

Light
Natural light is the most common enemy of jerseys that are being displayed. One of the basics of preservation is to avoid displaying any items near windows that received direct sunlight. Filters can be applied to windows and/or UV glass used to protect the items but this is one of the single most important elements in preservation. While natural light is the most destructive, fluorescent and halogen lights can also produce large amounts of damaging UV radiation. There are several filters available online and at some hardware stores that can be placed on the bulbs to reduce the amount of UV exposure to jerseys that are being displayed.

Temperature
There are two critical components related to temperature. Ideally temperatures should be kept around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. While a variance of a few degrees is not significant, it is best to avoid storing jerseys in areas where the temperature fluctuates significantly which can cause stress on the material. This is typically not a problem for collectors storing their jerseys in their homes.

Humidity
Like temperature, humidity should be kept as constant as possible. A relative humidity level of 50% provides fabrics like wool the needed moisture to flex and breathe while not being so high as to increase the risk of mold.

Insects
Insects are not as much of a concern as long as the storage area is kept neat and clean and is not located near food sources, etc. However, periodic inspection of jerseys for evidence of insects should be conducted to minimize the potential for issues.

Handling
Because of the natural oils and acids in our skin cloth gloves should be worn when handling jerseys. This may seem like overkill for the purposes of game used jerseys but in the long run it will help to preserve them. If you choose not to take this precaution, limiting the amount of handling, as well as washing your hands before handling the jerseys, can go a long way.

Storage Methods
There are three generally accepted forms of storage for textiles flat, rolled and hanging.

From a conservation standpoint, flat storage is optimal as it provides a constant support for the jersey while minimizing stress on the fabric. Due to space restrictions for private collectors, this is often not practical. If jerseys are to be folded, acid-free tissue paper should be used in the folds to minimize any damage by folding or creases in the jersey. Even with this precaution, folded jerseys should be refolded from time to time to evenly distribute the stress caused by the folds.

Rolled storage involves placing a jersey on an acid free or fabric-covered tube and rolling it. This method is not as ideal as flat storage but minimizes creases, etc. by eliminating folding of the jersey. Again, the practicality of this approach is challenging as it provides limited access to the item and unique challenges in storing a large number of jerseys.

In my opinion, the most practical method for practical conservation and storage I have found utilizes folding the jerseys and storing them in acid-free corrugated cardboard boxes with acid-free tissue paper. These boxes and papers are widely available on the internet from a number of archival sources. They can be relatively expensive but I have found some that offer what are referred to as “deep lids” which are basically shallow boxes approximately 3-4 inches deep and come in a variety of sizes. The jerseys should be folded and wrapped in the tissue paper with tissue paper used to also support the folds avoiding any sharp creases.

If anyone is interested, I have a few sites that I have purchased boxes and other supplies from that I would recommend. Feel free to email me if you are interested.

Hanging storage is another option which is often utilized by collectors. Hanging storage saves space but also presents its own unique challenges. First and foremost, the material used in the hanger is critical. Wood hangers often have a high acidity that can discolor or damage jerseys while metal hangers can rust and also damage jerseys. Generally, the preferred hanging method for storage is via plastic hangers padded to simulate human shoulders minimizing the stress placed on the jersey. Once placed on hangers, jerseys should be covered in plastic or cloth to provide protection while still allowing the jersey to breathe. Care should be taken in the materials that are used in the hangers, padding as well as to cover the jerseys to ensure they will not damage the jerseys. There are many types of fabric available via the internet to cover jerseys while still allowing them to breathe.

Do not store jerseys in plastic bags as the bags as they do not allow the jersey to breathe and are often unstable giving off gasses that can damage a jersey over time resulting in spotting and discoloration.

Storage location is also important. It is often preferable to store items (or near) the main living area of the home. Basements often have temperature and humidity issues as well as increased potential for insects while attics have dramatic temperature fluctuations.

The information above is culled from a variety of sources and research. While I am not a professional in this field and make no guarantees as to the preservation methods suggested, I thought the information might be helpful to share and cause other collectors to consider their methods. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound cure.

Links
There are dozens of resources out there dedicated to the preservation of textiles. Below are a few useful links I found that discuss the proper conservation and/or display of textiles.

The Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute has a useful page for handling of textiles available here: http://www.si.edu/mci/english/learn_more/taking_care/handletex.html

The National Park Service has an interesting article on methods for properly padding hangers to minimize any damage/stress on historical artifacts:
http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/publications/conserveogram/04-05.pdf

Below is a useful article on storing antique textiles at home:
http://www.smithsonian.org/encyclopedia_si//nmah/antqtext.htm

Another article on home textile preservation and care:
http://www.textilemuseum.org/care/brochures/guidelines.htm

I would be interested to hear what steps others take to preserve their collection.

[sportscentury]

This is quite helpful. Thanks for your good work. I do think, though, that this should be in the Game Used Memorabilia section. It is more appropriate for that section because it has to do with game used memorabilia and it will get more traffic (and therefore be more likely to help more collectors/GUU members). Thank you again. I am already rethinking some of my storage practices.

[dcgreg25]

This is quite helpful. Thanks for your good work. I do think, though, that this should be in the Game Used Memorabilia section. It is more appropriate for that section because it has to do with game used memorabilia and it will get more traffic (and therefore be more likely to help more collectors/GUU members). Thank you again. I am already rethinking some of my storage practices.

Thanks for the compliment, glad you found it helpful. I will move it over to the game used memorabilia section.

[TriplexXxSports]

Good read. Cool info.

[legaleagle92481]

Greg what is an acid free noncorrugated box? can you give an example. or post a pic of one.this is a great article it has opened my eyes as i have been storing my items in plastic bags in a plastic bin and now i want to preserve them.

[TriplexXxSports]

A good example of what he is talking about is card boxes. The long, slim ones, ya know, that people store sports cards in.

Here's a quick visual aid - http://www.familyarchives.com/produc...52d-Large.html - to kinda give you an idea.

[dcgreg25]

http://www.familyarchives.com/produc...-Deep-Lid.html

Those are the boxes I have been trying out. As far as your question on acid-free anything that touches your jerseys ideally should be acid-free and lignin-free. All archival companies selling boxes should label their boxes as such. The presence of acid and/or lignin in your storage boxes, etc. can damage or discolor your jersey over time.

[solarlottry]

what size of these boxxes are you using?

[dcgreg25]

what size of these boxxes are you using?

I have been using both 24.5 x 20.5 x 3" and 31 x 23 x 3". I have been using primarily the larger lids to minimize the amount of folds in the jersey.

[mlupo]

I noticed you didn't have anything to say about framing jerseys(either positive or negative). Light would obviously be able to get in, but it seems like if you used UV glass along with keeping it away from windows and using an acid free matt/frame that would cover most of what you mentioned, including flat storage and avoiding folds. Clearly framed jerseys that are laid flat and not folded take up a lot of space and money, but is this a good option? I just love the way they look. I would love to hear your input.