[sbfinley]

An artist friend of mine educated me on "archival" pens and markers not long ago. She stated all sharpies will fade, eventually, regardless of where and how you store your items. The same is true for Staedtler markers as well. These and other similar markers are almost universally alcohol and dye based. These ingredients will degrade with certainty. Factors such as light, humidity, and temperature can and will accelerate the process, but this breakdown will occur regardless over time. I asked what sort of pens/markers I could use to prevent this and she said India ink. I have no reason to doubt her statements, but I also haven't taken the effort to see if India ink is viable for autographs and on what mediums it would work.