I live in northern Europe, humidity reaching up to 65% max in the worst times, at 20°C (68°F).
I check up on my collection regularly for signs of too high humidity (or other conditions).
Now I was shocked/surprised to see small signs of too high humidity, on some cases of cards in cardsavers as an example(picture).
It is very clear that I cant let the cards in such an environment for years and years of storage since it would go over to cards.
There are many ways to treat humidity but I am truly considering one at the moment: A dry cabinet, since its the best controllable way to deal with it.
I want to bring this into focus for people who dont know, because I am sure that many are out there ignoring/simply not spotting such warning signs. But I also would like to hear other opinions on humidity effects (and other natural effects) on cards. Always here collecting/sharing further knowledge.
Before everyone panics, it may also be worth noting that this kind of appearance isn’t always moisture, but just a visual artifact on adjacent plastic/glass surfaces that aren’t perfectly aligned (i.e. a sleeve inside a card saver with slightly different concavity).
So, don’t be like me and freak out when you see this occurring on plastic inside a dry cabinet.
Thanks, very helpful, do you knoe hoe to spot if its that or actual humidity?
It just seems like its many things coming together, these signs, the high humidity here, also in one of my binders are the cheap softsleeves warping
I always try and store between 45-55% humidity if possible. I find this is the ‘sweet spot’ between not too dry or moist. Any expensive card I always store in a sleeve + toploader or in a zipped binder at a minimum to help retain structural integrity long-term. This is also why I don’t recommend storing in basements or attics, as those can both have extreme levels of humidity or heat potentially… or it can be too damp/cold in a basement depending on how well insulated the basement is. Make sure you know your environment well, it’s just not worth the risk IMO.
The quick test is just separating the plastic surfaces apart - if you can still see the rings when they’re not pressed together then it probably is actual moisture.
Sleeves warping can sometimes be a result of trapped air (assuming the sleeves were in a binder and not open air on top), but yes fluctuations in temperature and humidity can definitely lead to cards and sleeves warping.
FWIW I had many cards that were stored in a shed in Florida for years and made it out the other side as PSA 10s so it’s not like it will necessarily disintegrate your cards overnight, but it’s still worth being vigilant about it (especially for those living in areas with no air conditioning). Desiccant packs, dehumidifiers and dry cabinets are all options to help depending on how much you’re willing to spend on it.
Thanks! Yeah it could also be a colision of random events. The rings were indeed not visible anymore and the sleeved cards warped inside a binder.
I will further try to test so I can be sure its safe. Since humidity going close to 70% always seems like a possible risk. I havent seen signs of humidity on cards themselves (gladly).
The one pro of living in a hot ass desert is I don’t have to worry about this stuff. I’m gonna have so much anxiety when I eventually end up moving to somewhere more humid.
I don’t live in a humid environment, but wouldn’t having your cards stored inside multiple plastic boxes basically solve the issue? Like, 3 different boxes from large to small, with your cards in the smallest one.
As long as the boxes are sealed well, wouldn’t that act like 2 separate vacuums against the ambient levels of moisture?
The ones on eBay are basically all the same ; they are very likely made in the same factory with minor branding tweaks, I would just get the cheapest one that looks like mine
I’ve mentioned this in a few other threads, but the key concern is humidity AND temperature shifts. If you have high relative humidity in your room and the temperature drops, the air can hold less water and that water has to go somewhere. It will condense and form droplets = bad
