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If you have antique photos of your family and forebearers and you will want to take real good care of. Antique photos depicting certain events or people have great value to collectors, but can't even hold a candle to the sentimental value that families place on photos of their loved ones.
Caring for antique photos is important because if they are not properly cared for, they will not only lose any value that they may have, they can literally disintegrate right before our eyes. Never expose antique photos to direct sunlight, or any other photos for that matter.
Light, especially direct sunlight, is harmful to antique photos. The rays of sun will make the colors of the photo fade right off the film, so much so that you will not even be able to make out the picture after a while. Artificial and ambient lighting is nowhere near as damaging as the sun's rays are.
You should also take care when you're handling them so as to not bend the photos. When an antique photo is bent, the result will be a permanent mark that is left on the photo. Since many antique photos are on a card board type material, if the photo gets bent it breaks up the picture and you'll actually end up seeing the cardboard as opposed to the photo.
Among collectors, certainly not all antique photos have high value. There are certain events that pictures are taken of that are worth more than others. For example, an antique photo of a wedding party is worth more than just a random picture.
And of course pictures of famous people such as Abraham Lincoln have tremendous value. But even wedding party pictures have differing values, the more people in the picture the higher the value of the photo. I suppose it's a matter of quantity and quality when it comes to valuing antique photos.
Also, if the people in the picture seem a little more high class (the clothing is expensive within the time period of the photo), then the photo is worth a little more than if it were of a lower class family. Hardly seems fair does it? But I believe it's all a matter of detail as opposed to discrimination.
Sometimes antique photos with only one person are valuable. Photos of kids are usually valuable because they are so interesting. Antique photos of historical figures and the infamous are often valuable, too, especially if the photo is signed by the subject.
Many people like to label their photos. It's not really a good idea to be sticking things to the surface of your antique photos. Nor is it a good idea to be writing on them. If you use a pen to label the photos, it is possible that the ink might react somehow with the ink in the photo.
If you must label antique photos, it is better to use a pencil of some sort. It is better for the picture because the graphite will not react. Another benefit of pencil is that if you decide you do not want it labeled, then it is easier to erase than pen. Perhaps something along the lines of a Post-it note that is not adhered directly to the photos surface might be the best bet.
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