Need Advice On Preserving A Margin Strip

In 1984 I bought this Scott 375 left margin strip of 20 and it has remained in the envelope it came in ever since.

I'd like to keep the strip intact but it has some perf separation issues, most notably between the second and third rows from the bottom where only the selvage perforations remain connected.

I thought about putting the strip in a Showgard-like mount but the it is just under 285mm with the selvage and the longest I've found so far is 265mm.

Given that the strip already has disturbed gum, I was considering the judicious use of hinges to reinforce the problem areas.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

I would not advise using hinges if there is any gum left on piece. Trying to sweat off the hinges might cause more damage to the gum. On a piece this old, any orignal gum than can be conserved the better. Have you tried getting a one-pocket (sheet-sized) stockpage? That might be what you are looking for.

smauggie,

Thanks for the advice. I think the sheet-sized page would be the only one that is long enough to protect the entire strip and allow me to display it.

Steve

My Hagner single sheet size measures 25cm deep
hope that helps.

Rod,

Thanks. I was able to locate some Showgard mint sheet album refill pages on iHobb.com that had a pocket size measuring 250mm x 288mm -- that will give me a 5mm cushion on the length (and 185mm on the width!).

Yes, it will fit in those mint sheet pages. If you use those, I recommend using the double-sided as they provide better support. However, those pages are all soft. You may end up tearing the perfs more just by handling the mint sheet page through slight bending. I doubled the length of a perf separation in a mint sheet once by carelessly turning the page a little to fast.

If you have something with weak perfs, I strongly suggest storing it in something that has stiffer support (such as the Hagner pages that Rod mentioned). Numerous stockpage makers do manufacture OVERSIZED (>8.5"x11") stocksheets. You can check the Subway catalog, as they have pretty decent coverage.

I have used full sized (one pocket) Vario pages with the black background. One major problem I run into is the increase in friction between the item you are inserting and the card insert the further you "push" the item in. I put push in quotes because that is not really what you are doing.

Any advice on inserting the item into the page without damage?? On some large items, such as souvenir sheets it gets a little scary as you try to get it in.

I have a sheet album for larger items such as this, and place them on the diagonal. I'm away from home at the moment, but the name Bogenmarke comes to mind, and I think they're made by Lighthouse

Thanks for all of the input -- it has been helpful.




I ordered the double-sided version and, depending on the rigidity, may use a heavy paper or cardboard insert on the reverse side for added reinforcement.




The item description says the backing is "archival PolyPro film" rather than paper so I'm hoping there is less friction.

I was worried about damaging the strip further when doing the scan so I inserted it into a standard document protector while it was still in its glassine and then "coaxed" it out for the scan. I will try that approach again when the sheets arrive.