[scrat]

Well after finding that site a few weeks ago. I started really looking into it. I thought it would be so neat to get some of the originals to be able to read and just to have. So i found an original on gunbrokers. There were some reprints made in the 60's the difference is they have on the top left the words saying The Reissue of .

Found a bunch of those. So i bid on an orignal. Well i cant believe i won. So i thought to myself the proof is in the pudding. So today the mail comes. The mail man gives me a huge box. Says fragile all over it. Do not bend. So i carefully open it up. TO my amazement it is an original. Totally original. Once i closley looked at it i quickly learned this is something i should not even be touching so i used a knife to carefully turn the pages. A very small amount actually fell off when i turned them. The paper is soooo old. Now im afraid of what i have. For now i think i will just keep it in the cardboard it came in. Im not too sure how i should preserve it. I know it probably is not good to keep in light. Same time im not too sure plastic is a good thing either. I imagine it needs to breath but be kept out of any moisture and avoid heat. You guys have any suggestions. Wow

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q77/scratm3/2-1.jpg

oh the date is April 19 1862

[scrat]

this is where a piece broke off when i first tried to open it. Wow what did i get myself into.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q77/scratm3/2-2.jpg

[arcticap]

I don't know anything about this stuff but I don't see how storing it in a thin plastic food bag could hurt.
I've seen comic books stored and sold that way.
Just stick it in and fold the flap over, and place it on something stiff.
Wear cotton gloves when handling it.
Or you could go to a store like WalMart and buy a single clear plastic photo album page to sandwich it into, and then store it in a plastic bag.
Paper money is also stored in protective plastic sleeves.
The plastic should at least protect the paper from absorbing moisture.
The article below also mentions using a plastic storage box.
And because it's deteriorating and falling apart, I wonder if you may already have some acidic paper:

http://www.auduboninfo.net/articles/print_storage.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_2125751_care-antique-paper.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art

[scrat]

Wow good info. Thanks thats exactly what i needed. I think for now still im going to keep it in the cardboard. Least until i do some more reading. Says to keep in cool dry place. not around light. So i might just put it behind my gun safe. Need to figure out if i need to get it restored for the acidic part, then how and how much. then the storage part. Wow i guess thats the price of getting a piece of history. This thing really deserves it though.

[arcticap]

How much is it worth?
Just try to keep it from deteriorating more. :)

[scrat]

from every where that i have seen they can go up to 500.Really depends on whats in them. Originals with famous battle scenes are going to be up there. Then it just depends on how good it has been preserved. The regular ones can go for as cheap as 40.00. Thats not bad for something that old. a lot of the reprints go as low as 15.00. From what i read and now see its true. You will know a reprint from an original. Texture, smell overall appearance, then the rerpinted ones from the 60's say they are reprints on them. I have some old documents. My mother has a book i forget the name its from the early 1800's. Paper smell and texture are close. This is really old. its very fragile The wear is there. all in all i got it for 50.00. There are some good pictures in it too. on another site they mention about having it framed a special way with special tape. opened to reveal the center picture. The center picture is nice too. Think im going to go that route. Here is the link. http://www.sonofthesouth.net/starting_a_collection2.htm

[scrat]

This is the issue i have.

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1862/civil-war-artillery.htm

[Sistema1927]

I am not so sure that I would stick it in a plastic bag. I would check with the local museum or historical society, to see what they recommend. The answers might be different depending on what part of the country you live in.

For example, I would expect that care would be far different in Florida than it would be here in New Mexico. It would not surprise me if they didn't recommend that you insert acid free tissue paper between the sheets and then store it in some manner appropriate to your relative humidity and ambient temperature.

[arcticap]

My concern about placing tissue paper in between each page would be that doing so may cause the pages to be supported even less rigidly which could break down the fibers of some of them.
Maybe it depends on how thick, rigid and deteriorated each page is to begin with, and just how many tissue papers will be required.
The more tissues used, then the less flat that some of the pages will be when stored.
It's just a thought.