So when I first got back into collecting in 2012, one of the things I desperately wanted was a Base Set First Edition Charizard, so i purchased a PSA 7 First Ed. Base Set Zard for $450 bucks.Looking back I wish I splurged for an 8, but I love the card and for a 7 it looks great.
Unlike many collectors who prefer to keep cards in the dark to help protect them, I permanently wanted to have my Zard displayed, so i thought about ways to frame it. I decided to use some really good Black Friday discounts and get it framed at Michaels.
What you see below is a jet black metal frame with āno glareā glass over the top as a shadow box display with a black perimeter felt material. Behind the card is a red felt material backing that shows through the card to give a little color to the clear PSA case and blend with the cards colors and black perimeter. The frame has a screwed on back and is completely dust free. The entire frame has a width of about 2 inches.
The biggest issue with the frame is that the PSA case had to be glued down with a mild adhesive in a couple spots to provide support for it to sit in the middle of the frame. If necessary it could it still be removed and re-cased by PSA, but I think it looks fantastic and Iām not one to stare at the back of cards. I am interested in updating the case someday though and possibly having the card reviewed because it was probably one of the best 7ās I have ever seen.
What are your thoughts on how I chose to display my Charizard? It is hung in a dim lit room with no direct sunlight, but could be placed to stand up also if I wanted. Looks the same as when I bought it and I know gluing cards is never a good idea, but itās just the case and I like to show off the goods.
Just remember that PSA cases are not UV proof nor is the glass presumably, so thereās absolutely no protection against UV light. It will fade over time even in indoor lights, itās just a matter of how long that will take.
The UV protective glass replacement is interesting. I totally understand that the card will fade with time. I guess Iāll just continue to keep it in a dim room out of any direct light. I havenāt noticed any kind of fading to date. The struggle is real but I rather enjoy it out and about than have it locked away for now.
Youāll be happy to know that the bulk of my collection is stored in a box in a box in a box in a psa case lol
Thereās no escaping the slow deteriorating of all things and eventually the entire universe into an inevitable entropic heat death.
No matter what you do, the colour on the card will eventually fade. But there are strategies that will increase the amount of time it takes. Moving cards from direct sunlight to a dark safe will make the colours last hundreds or thousands (or millions?) of years instead of a few months. Using 99% UV protection means you should expect the colour to last about 100x longer (keep in mind the protection can also deteriorate). In a standard lit room with indirect light this is probably sufficient. Also remember there are different kinds of UV light so you want to protect against everything you can.
I canāt say how long it would take for indoor light to visibly damage a card, but if I wanted to display the card in such a way, Iād look into UV glass to be safe.
If it fades it fades. Well worth keeping it the way it is and for the price paid. Looks cool .
I can imagine a Pokemon art gallery now with dates and descriptions of framed cards lol. āHere lies Charizard, 1999 1st edition base set, the holy grailā. No flash photography please.
One inexpensive way I could think of is tinting the window or windows in whatever room you have it hanging. We live in Florida and we had to do it to our previous house; we had a huge open room with an open to belowā¦within a month we noticed the sun was burning the furniture lolol so we had it tinted with uv protection.
Thatās a great looking card joer. Nice presentation too:)
My framed uncut sheets and Gretzky Jersey weāre finished off using Museum Glass. Yes, itās expensive so maybe not practical for all.
Museum Glass
Museum Glass Is The Highest Quality Anti-Reflective Picture Framing Glass Available In The Industry. The Ultra Protective, Nearly Invisible Finish Protects Against 99% Of Harmful Indoor And Outdoor UV Light Rays And Has The Highest Light Transmission Along With The Lowest Reflection Rating Of Any Other Glass Product.
When To Use:
Any Artwork That Would Benefit From Reflection-Free Viewing With UV Protection
Shadow Boxes, Multiple Mat, Or Deep Framing Projects
I have one of the top Auston Matthews rookie card collections (hockey player) - I too like displaying the cardsā¦ So i have them all in a display case in a sunlight free room, and coated the glass with a UV protection film I bought off amazon ā¦ works great!
This is what i read on some art forum. Apparently, when putting UV protected glass in a room with sunlight vs regular glass in dim lights and no sunlight resulted in yellowing in the artwork for the regular glass, while the UV protected glass had hardly noticeable difference (over several years).
Not sure how reliable the post was, but investing in museum glass or UV protected plexiglas sounds like a good idea regardless.
This seems like the easiest āquickā fix. That way I can keep the exact setup and simply apply the protection Iām guessing. Iāll look into it.
All very helpful advice. I actually have since gotten all 3 starters in PSA 7 first edition base, so I was thinking of doing a larger shadow box with blue, green and red backing.
Iāve shown this before but Iāll give the details now.
This item was framed by the AMAZING Monster Framing. I was given a choice of UV glass for 800.00 complete or 1,100.00 using museum glass. I went with the museum glass.
I know by looking you canāt tell the difference but I just wanted to give you an idea of cost difference.
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