I wonder if someone has a solution for that ?

Scale, Balance and Placement of Your Antiques and Collectibles

Scale is probably the most important word used in the design business and oftentimes the most misunderstood. By scale, we mean size, which also includes shape, dimension and proportion. The scale of your antique furniture, objects and collectibles plays a pivotal part in balance. For the sake of this article, balance does not mean symmetry but rather unifying the space within spatial constraints, which is then ultimately accomplished by placement. Sounds convoluted. Let me take the mystery out of it and give you some practical observations.

Scale—Claiming the Space

Above is pictured an interior wall in a dining room that has for the most part no existing architectural interest, meaning no crown molding, a somewhat insignificant baseboard, no chair rail or paneling. What it does have going for it is a pretty uninterrupted expanse that will take a large-scale piece of furniture, in this case a very formal 19th-century English, ebony credenza with Wedgwood plaque insets. Center it on the wall using it as the principal, backbone, starting point, and build out the wall from there. Rule of thumb: large-scale furniture for large rooms, large-scale furniture for small rooms. (Don’t clutter a small place with small things: thing big.)

Balance—Expanding on the Space

You will notice that the walls of this room are painted a soft, chalky yellow. The color acts as a natural foil and serves to complement rather than to compete with the use of strong black color that predominates the wall by way of the credenza and the unframed architectural drawing done in India ink on fiberglass. This drawing, measuring approximately 4 feet by 6 feet, is centered over the credenza and serves to balance the space above the credenza. Framing the drawing is a pair of Italian gilt metal-and-crystal candle sconces. When placed at equal distance beyond the credenza, they help to visually expand and balance the space.

Black candles are used in the sconces to continue the black color theme. The positioning of the pair of Queen Anne armchairs, which are dragged into service for diner parties, helps, too, to balance the sconces. What we’ve got here is organized layering. To juxtapose the balanced alignment of furniture, drawing and sconces, an oversized Dummy Board placed just off to the left provides an amusing visual distraction.

Placement—dare to be spare

There are just fifteen items on display on or in the credenza, ranging from a Chinese export teacup and saucer, and a 1950s tin toy to an 18th-century lacquered Chinese tea table. Each item, in this eclectic collection, has been selected from an over-large collection of good, bad and indifferent antiques and collectibles to demonstrate their diverse appeal and also to speak about the owner of the collection.

Placement of these items is not random but rather positioned with a seasoned eye to create order, balance and harmony even with the seeming randomness of the collection. An 18th-century iron gear is coupled with a granite goose-egg stone from Maine along with a marble urn that is displayed on top of the tea table creating, in turn, its own tablescape. A sepia photograph framed in brushed metal and silver acts as a magnate to draw people to the spot. (People love looking at photographs.) It also conceals a small up-spotlight that serves to illuminate the drawing at night. Glass Regency column candlesticks in hurricane glasses complete the tableau.

So, to effectively display your antiques and collectibles, aim for good scale, balance and placement.

– Christopher Kent is a member of the WorthPoint board of advisers and director of evaluations for WorthPoint. He is also an antiques and collectibles generalist, fine-arts broker and president of CTK Design.

Scale, Balance and Placement of Your Antiques and Collectibles

Scale is probably the most important word used in the design business and oftentimes the most misunderstood. By scale, we mean size, which also includes shape, dimension and proportion. The scale of your antique furniture, objects and collectibles plays a pivotal part in balance. For the sake of this article, balance does not mean symmetry but rather unifying the space within spatial constraints, which is then ultimately accomplished by placement. Sounds convoluted. Let me take the mystery out of it and give you some practical observations.

Scale—Claiming the Space

Above is pictured an interior wall in a dining room that has for the most part no existing architectural interest, meaning no crown molding, a somewhat insignificant baseboard, no chair rail or paneling. What it does have going for it is a pretty uninterrupted expanse that will take a large-scale piece of furniture, in this case a very formal 19th-century English, ebony credenza with Wedgwood plaque insets. Center it on the wall using it as the principal, backbone, starting point, and build out the wall from there. Rule of thumb: large-scale furniture for large rooms, small-scale furniture for small rooms.

Balance—Expanding on the Space

You will notice that the walls of this room are painted a soft, chalky yellow. The color acts as a natural foil and serves to complement rather than to compete with the use of strong black color that predominates the wall by way of the credenza and the unframed architectural drawing done in India ink on fiberglass. This drawing, measuring approximately 4 feet by 6 feet, is centered over the credenza and serves to balance the space above the credenza. Framing the drawing is a pair of Italian gilt metal-and-crystal candle sconces. When placed at equal distance beyond the credenza, they help to visually expand and balance the space.

Black candles are used in the sconces to continue the black color theme. The positioning of the pair of Queen Anne armchairs, which are dragged into service for diner parties, helps, too, to balance the sconces. What we’ve got here is organized layering. To juxtapose the balanced alignment of furniture, drawing and sconces, an oversized Dummy Board placed just off to the left provides an amusing visual distraction.

Placement—dare to be spare

There are just fifteen items on display on or in the credenza, ranging from a Chinese export teacup and saucer, and a 1950s tin toy to an 18th-century lacquered Chinese tea table. Each item, in this eclectic collection, has been selected from an over-large collection of good, bad and indifferent antiques and collectibles to demonstrate their diverse appeal and also to speak about the owner of the collection.

Placement of these items is not random but rather positioned with a seasoned eye to create order, balance and harmony even with the seeming randomness of the collection. An 18th-century iron gear is coupled with a granite goose-egg stone from Maine along with a marble urn that is displayed on top of the tea table creating, in turn, its own tablescape. A sepia photograph framed in brushed metal and silver acts as a magnate to draw people to the spot. (People love looking at photographs.) It also conceals a small up-spotlight that serves to illuminate the drawing at night. Glass Regency column candlesticks in hurricane glasses complete the tableau.

So, to effectively display your antiques and collectibles, aim for good scale, balance and placement.

– Christopher Kent is a member of the WorthPoint board of advisers and director of evaluations for WorthPoint. He is also an antiques and collectibles generalist, fine-arts broker and president of CTK Design.

Part 1 “How to Start a Baseball Collection”

Part 2 “Where to Find Baseball Cards”

In this third part of “Starting a Baseball Card Collection,” I want to discuss how you can store your cards in a way that will preserve their integrity and keep them organized.

Many of my cards are stored in baseball card albums. These albums are similar to photo albums, and are popular because they provide an easy way to display your collection. These binders are full of plastic sheets that hold 9 cards a piece. You can simply turn through the pages and view the cards in your collection.

It is worth noting that I do not keep my most valuable cards in these albums. I use the baseball card albums to hold my lower/mid-level cards. The reason for this is that the pages are handled and flipped through so often that you run the risk of a card being damaged from excessive handling and overexposure. Maybe I am a little overprotective, but I don’t like to take chances with my more valuable cards.

I also have a large number of cards stored in individual plastic sleeves. There are 2 main varieties of these plastic sleeves: soft and hard. I like to place my more expensive cards first in a soft sleeve and then into a hard plastic covering. These hard plastic sleeves, also known as top loaders, are an excellent choice for protecting your mint cards because they protect the fragile corners from getting bent.

Serious collectors may wish to take their protective measures even further by using screw down cases. These cases are typically reserved for the most expensive baseball cards as they can be fairly expensive. A screw down case consists of 2 thick plastic sheets that screw together to hold the card firmly in place. If you have a rare, pricey card that you want to make sure no one ever touches, a screw down case will provide you with the security that you require.

Using all of these plastic sleeves leads to the obvious question: What do I do with all of these cards in sleeves? In order to best protect your investment, you need to buy special baseball card storage boxes. These boxes come in a variety of sizes to meet your collection’s storage demands.

In addition to providing protection for your collection, these boxes also help you keep your cards organized. You can organize your cards by year, team, brand, or price range. What is important is that you organize it in a way that makes sense for you. An organized collection is easier to preserve and manage because you always know where all of your cards are.

There are a variety of ways to store your baseball cards. The method you choose is determined by the value of your collection, the space you have for storage, and your budget. The main thing is that you do not leave your cards exposed to damage from outside forces. Store your investment in a cool, dark place so that they do not lose their value from heat and light damage. Remember, an organized collection is a happy collection!

Online supply sources:

BCW Supplies – online source for purchasing albums

Pro-Mold Direct – online source for purchasing screw down cases

HOW TO CARE FOR OLD FLAGS

Flags manufactured before the age of synthetics were generally made whole or in part from wool, cotton and linen, all natural fibers.

WOOL FLAGS

Wool bunting had been used for flags for centuries and there is a reason no credible 18th century U.S. national flag has survived into the 19th century. Wool is very susceptible to decay and deterioration due to water, infestation, and careless preservation.

Wool is an animal based fiber. By definition, it is the fine, soft, curly hair containing keratin that forms the fleece of sheep or other domesticated animals such as goat and alpaca. The fleece fibers easily overlap and cling together to give the material a dense and soft felt-like feel and a surprising strength.

COTTON AND LINEN FLAGS

Cotton is a plant-based fiber while linen is classified as a vegetable-based fiber even though it is made from the plant known as flax.

Cotton and linen were sometimes used to make the heading (the end where the flag meets the pole) and the stars on the U.S. national flag before World War II. Cotton replaced wool as the main textile for U.S. national flags during World War II when wool became the primary textile for the manufacture of military uniforms.

In fact, this is the quickest way to determine when a 48 star U.S. national flag was produced. If it is wool it was produced from 1912 to about the 1940s; a cotton flag was produced from the 1940s until the 50 star national flag was introduced in 1960.

REMOVING MOLD AND MILDEW STAINS

With mold and mildew stains take the following steps, according to the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute:

- remove the flag or textiles, in their original container, outside of the area
- carefully spread the flag on a clean, absorbent, dry surface,
- allow the flag or textile to dry,
- use a fan to circulate the air, but not focus the fan directly on the textile,
- once dried, carefully use a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment or a hand brush to clean the surface of the flag to remove the mold or mildew once it is dry (caution: you may not be able to remove all of it or the stain),
- washing or dry cleaning the flag is not recommended since mold and mildew break the fibers and the water-based cleaning will destroy the textile entirely.

TREATMENT FOR MUSTY ODORS AND “FOXING”

The ‘musty’ odor of an old textile is caused by a fungi or bacteria. Simply laying the textile in a warm, dry, airy environment will eventually eliminate the odor. Some chemical cleaners, advertised to help with the odor, will clean the fibers, but will harm the colors or finishing of the textile.

‘Foxing’ usually refers to the small dimple-like brown dots that are normally found in old books. This is true for textiles, too. Some fungi and bacteria produce these rust-colored stains as they grow. Bleaching is sometimes used to reduce the color of the spots, but it also weakens the fibers or paper where it is applied. There may be little you can do to remove the spot without further damaging the textile or book. It is best just to store the item in an acid free environment.

SAFETY

The following section is taken in its entirety from the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute information regarding the safe handling of antique textiles:

“People with asthma, chronic pulmonary problems or immune compromised conditions should consult their physicians before working with mildewed textiles. The microbes affecting textiles are not generally pathogenic, but the large quantity of spores can affect health. Gloves, goggles, and fit-tested filtered, rated facepieces should be worn while handling mildewed objects. Protective gear should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after each use–or bagged and discarded. Clothing worn during the handling of mildewed textiles should be laundered with hot water, well rinsed, and, of course, thoroughly dried.”

STORAGE

Because wool, cotton and linen are all natural fibers, smaller insects like the casemaking clothes moth, the common clothes moth, the varied carpet beetle, the common carpet beetle, the hide beetle and the harder beetle all relate these fibers to food. They feed on the natural keratin characteristic of the wool fiber, for example, while the plant fibers of cotton and linen are edible, too.

To combat deterioration, particularly from insects, the key is to remove acid from its immediate environment, but also air from which insects thrive. According to the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute:

- wrap the flag entirely and within the folds in a neutral pH, unbuffered acid free tissue paper that is marketed as 18 lb weight paper.
- enclose the acid free wrapped flag in a plastic bag to keep out insects,
- place the flag in an acid free closed box or container.

But where to store your protected flag? In a humidity controlled area. Don’t store your protected flag in attics, basements or in closets and storage places that face to the outside wall. The changes in temperature affects the humidity levels. Stagnant air beginning at 80% relative humidity will adversely affect cotton and linen, above 92% will affect wool and silk.

FOLDING THE FLAG

Just as a car engine needs to be turned over frequently, a flag regardless of its size needs to be unfolded occasionally, too. If it is a large or oversized flag, unfold it on a warm, dry surface free from contact with dirt, grass, or water.

Examine the flag for areas of mold, mildew, stains or tears and care for it as above.

Refold the flag differently than you did previously so as not to crease or bend the fibers in exactly the same way each time.

Odd as it seems, it is quite proper to roll up or ball up a wool or cotton flag. Just pack it with acid free paper as above, but use a lighter 12 lb paper inside and all around the flag. This prevents creasing which can cause permanent damage. Then store in an acid free, air tight container.

LASTLY

Use of specialized materials such as acid free papers, boxes, containers, and even glass to reduce the harmful UV rays of the sun can dramatically increase the life of these special objects. It is our responsibility to do what we can to preserve, protect and defend these historic textiles for future generations. They tell our stories just as we tell our own.

For more information on preservation in general, visit the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute at:

http://www.si.edu/mci/english/learn_more/taking_care/geotex.html