[QUOTE=conor912;1736937]I know that Ultra-Pro's ball cubes claim to have some UV protectant, but it's important to remember that UV protection is gradient and not black and white. Think of it a sunscreen...you can get SPF 4 and you can get SPF 100. I would think that the ball cubes are more in the SPF 4 category. As far as I know, no top loaders on the market offer any kind of UV protection. I have heard that PSA slabs have some, but still on the low end of the spectrum.
If your collection is displayed in a room that is dark other than when people are using it, say an hour or two a day, then you're fine. If they are in a room that gets light (any kind of light) all or most of the day (like a living room or bedroom with the curtains open), then over time there will be degradation. The hard part is that sometimes the fading can happen so slowly and gradually that you won't really notice until it's too late.
The best you can get is museum quality glass, and even that only offers something like 98% protection....and it is very expensive. The is no such thing as a see-through 100% solution, which is why the high SPF sunscreens are the thick, white cream that never fully absorbs - they are "physical blockers" which literally block out all light.
The bottom line is, if the value (monetary or sentimental) of your item is of great importance to you, either store it in complete (or close to complete) darkness for 22+ hours/day, or pony up for museum glass.[/QUOTE]
That last part is good advice. I did and am very happy I did (as I am sure others who have done it, feel.) If you have a valuable object the cost is a tiny percent. I think my Horner photo (above), done as archival as it realistically gets (at a nice, upscale art place) was around $350, approx 8-9 yrs ago. Here is a plug for them as they are really nice folks and do a great job.
http://www.swgallery.com/custom-fram...al-projects-25
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