I put this in the Collectors Corner but really it could equally go in the general MR as well.

We've read stories of woe about deterioration of various items that have been in long-term storage.

A good example is items that came paced in styrene liners, and after several years (or decades), you get the item out only to find that the minute you attempt to remove it from the liner, the styrene is stuck to the paint, or the paint has discoloured. Or items that have become slightly damp in storage perhaps through humidity or condensation and a moisture attack has started.

The advice given is to regularly check your items for condition, and place a protective liver such as acid-free paper etc between the item and the packaging. But a few years can easily pass where you might not unpack one or several items until it's too late.

The same warning also applies to catalogues, and not particularly old ones ether.

I have been sorting through duplicate catalogues for a while to thin out the collection and pass on duplicates to new homes. I found with several that many of the pages were lightly stuck together. I say lightly because although they did not tear on separating, I had to be VERY careful, and there was some 'ghosting' where the ink from one page has left a residual image on the page it was stuck to.

Usually I store my catalogues like a bookcase, upright. But I have been guilty at times of stacking them - really a no-no. And we all know how quickly a pile of just a few stacked catalogues can become very heavy.

This is really a caution after spending probably 15 minutes carefully separating the 500-plus pages of a 1998 catalogue. Not all were stuck which was odd. I might have had 5 in a row that had adhered together, then there might be 20 pages with no problems.

I'd be interested in what others find if you check catalogues that you've not read in a while, (if ever). Seems the glossy pages of the heavier ones are the worst by far. Not so common on the thinner catalogue pro about 1980.

Not a good idea stacked (but it is only temporary, until I clear some shelf space)



Much better method - I like putting them in cardboard organisers to help keep them upright and to easily remove a few at once