1. Save Your Stuff guest blogger from Australia offers an excellent write up to share
tips with you about her passion for Sports Memorabilia…
Collectibles and Sports Memorabilia – Protect and Preseve
Your Passion
By
Belinda Darling
We Australian‟s are an unapologetically
sports mad people. Come Winter, we
immerse ourselves in AFL, rugby union
and rugby league, often forgoing social
events of a weekend to stay indoors,
shouting at the television and imploring
our team to „CARN!!‟ Post footy blues are
assuaged by the promise of long
summer days of one day, 20/20 and test
cricket. And then there‟s those two
weeks in January when we all studiously
watch little green balls being whacked back and forth at great
speed. There‟s nothing quite like the Australian Open to inspire you
to work on that feeble backhand. I will never cease to be amused
and touched by the sight of my rather wobbly, un-athletic friends
enthusiastically hitting the courts during the Open. That‟s the
beauty of sport. You‟re never too old, too young, or too out of
practice to get into the spirit of it all and have a go. It‟s the great
equaliser, appealing to people of every age, political leaning, and
social standing imaginable.
Naturally, given our love of all things sport related, Australian‟s are
also keen collectors of sporting memorabilia. Starting a collection
of sporting memorabilia is a wonderful idea for the true sports
tragic. But there are important things to take into consideration
before you begin to build your collection. Foremost- how do you
intend to preserve it? Football jerseys, autographs, photographs,
medals, cups, equipment and posters are all subject to the ravages
of time without careful care. A valuable collection of memorabilia
can be significantly devalued without proper preservation.
Framing Memorabilia: To ensure your pieces preserve their value
and continue to give you enjoyment for many years to come, it‟s
worth enlisting the services of professional custom sports
memorabilia framing services. Let‟s look at the best way to
preserve a football jumper. To preserve and add value, a custom
framing service can pin and frame the jersey, while offering optional
extras such as commemorative plaques, photos, medallions, and
laser lettering cut into the matt. It might seems like a canny idea to

2. just buy your own frame and DIY- but cheaper materials can
damage your memorabilia. Professional framers use high quality
papers for matting to ensure your items are not faded and damaged
by some of the harsh substances found in cheaper paper. *1
Where you show off your memorabilia: Keeping your
memorabilia in the correct environmental conditions within the
home is also essential in helping to preserve their value. UV Rays
will damage and age your collection with devastating speed. Ensure
your memorabilia is never exposed to direct sunlight. Fluorescent
light bulbs can inflict similar damage, albeit at a slower pace than
UV rays. *2
Using your memorabilia?!: Tempting as it may be to get out
there on Grand Final day in your signed James Hird jersey, it should
be avoided at all costs if you are committed to preserving the value
of your sports memorabilia.
A well preserved collection of sporting memorabilia will not only be
a source of pride and joy, but can provide you with a nice little
earner down the track should you decide to sell. *3
To learn more about preserving your sports memorabilia, get a copy
of How To Save Your Stuff From A Disaster (see “products” at the
top of this page) and get in touch with the team of experts at Fine
Art Conservation Laboratories for additional coaching (805 564
3438).
* From the editor: I think Belinda did an excellent job on this
article! Thanks for sharing Belinda!
*1 Not only the types of papers used in framing can hurt your
memorabilia but more likely to do damage are the improper
adhesives that you/framers use. The wrong adhesives can quickly
diminish value and ruin memorabilia.
*2 This comment is tied into the paragraph on framing. Use UV
filtering glass or Plexiglas type materials. While they can filter out
all or most of the UV light, that will NOT take care of ALL THE
FADING. Intense light will continue to fade somewhat even after
you filter out the UV. See my article at
http://tipsforfineartcollectors.org/impact-on-value/regarding-faded-
prints-and-paintings-can-they-be-restored/
*3 While it is the dream to buy low and sell high and make money
when collecting, there are many circumstances that play into this

3. “game.” Do NOT assume you will make money and this web
page/blog and any writings of Save Your Stuff LLC do not give
investment advice. None of the information in this article or blog
should be construed as encouragement, coaching or teaching
investment strategies. Having said that, a good bit of advice is to
become friends with an art or memorabilia appraiser to get
information pertinent to your specific interests. And finally, Belinda
is correct when she says that the state of preservation is very
important to the value.
An invitation to you: If you would like to write an article for this
blog or any of Save Your Stuff’s other blogs, feel free to contact me
to be a guest blogger. Belinda happens to be an excellent writer but
if you are not, I will help “adjust” your article before we post it. You
are encouraged to write articles often. I almost never refuse a guest
writer’s work. You may include URL’s of your websites if they are
compatible with the message of SYS and you may include photos.
The writing and the photo must be of your creation and you must
have the authorization to publish it/them. This is a chance for you
to get published and contribute to a world wide audience of
memorabilia, collectibles and art collectors. You don’t get paid and
you don’t pay me. Inquire at scott@saveyourstuff.com or call me at
805 564 3438
Art conservation/Save Your Stuff questions? Call Scott at 805 564
3438
Art appraisal questions? Call Richard Holgate at 805 895 5121
Friend us on Facebook at “Save Your Stuff””Scott M. Haskins”Fine
Art Conservation”
Subscribe to our How-To videos on YouTube at “Preservationcoach”
Channel