Speaking as someone with some knowledge of archival storage and display, my experience says avoid these holders, for two reasons:
1) A cardinal rule of displaying anything of value is you don't want anything touching the surface. This is why when you display a print or autographed photo or anything like that, you have a matte cut to fit around it, so the class or poly doesn't touch. To do otherwise risks precisely what you fear: the item sticking, and this is especially crucial for ballcards, where much of the value lies in the state of the surface. Lose that gloss, and the value takes a hit.
2) Plastic holders, while generally stable, are by their nature not chemically inert, since they are petroleum based. They may last a long time, and in fact we're not sure how long they'll last, but basic chemistry and the laws of entropy says they will break down eventually, and could possibly react with the item! So unless you're using glass, which IS chemically inert (since it is comprised of one compound: silica), you're not completely safe against an adverse chemical reaction.
TPG holders like PSA and SGC,you will note, take care not to touch the surfaces of the card, but rather grip the edges, and keep a space between it and the plastic. So in that regard, they are a wiser option, depending on the value and condition of your cards.
Regards,
BR
|