Genealogy Chat

Hi all

Been off to one of those Family History Fairs today, and three separate organisations told me I must store my certificates in Acid-Free plastic wallets (50p each), and if back-to-back must be separate by acid-free card (50p per sheet). As I have about 300 certificates, this is going to be pricey. It also means I need twice as many posh binders cos the card makes everything so thick. If it's essential then I will pay for it, but I don't want to waste money either.

As an alternative to the card, I found "pH neutral" paper at 1/10 of the price of card. A quick read about "pH" tells me that a pH of zero is neither acid nor alkaline - so is it the same as "acid free"?

Do I need to fuss so much? I already have my certificates stored in W.H.Smith Acid-Free pockets costing £1.99 for 100 (or something like that), unfortunately portrait format and all the posh binders are landscape - but will they be okay in those cheap pockets if I can find a binder that is portrait?

Thanks for any advice.

Maggie

Jonesey, that is a fair point about originals. Today I was looking at the collection I have of traditional "long" certificates and realised that none of them are actually "originals" and am beginning to realise (after 3 years on this project) that you never get an "original" at all. Amongst them is a marriage cert of my in-laws issued the day they were married (complete with postage stamp for authenticity) and also a photocopy (issued by the Register Office last year) of the "original". I had thought the one issued on the date of marriage was the better of the two, but in fact it is only a transcription of the original, whereas the photocopy shows the actual signatures of the couple and their witnesses.

So it seems that the copy obtained recently is actually more valuable than the one issued on the day of marriage.

So why worry unduly about preserving anything at such a cost, if a later copy is more valuable? Hmm. Back to W.H. Smiths for landscape acid-free sleeves, I think.

I will try the local archives office too, thanks for the idea.

Maggie

The chances are if they are originals storing them in the acid free sleeves from WHS is going to be better than the way they were originally stored!

My lot seem to have had a penchant for folding them as small as possible and storing them in shoe boxes. The worst one I ever saw was my grandmothers first husbands birth certificate which had been stuck together with christmas tape was moth eaten around the edges and stained. Still, I supose it was 106 years old and had survives the ravages of 10 or so house moves and two world wars!

As an aside, you can also buy acid free tissue paper quite cheaply if you want to keep items separated.

I'd say any modern copys, photo/scan them as it saves having to physically look through the files too often, then put them in a normal plastic sleeve.

One's given to people on the day be it yesterday or today I would be more careful with them, maybe going down the acid free route, or some other container.

Yeah, I have a lot that have been folded over - is it possible to get rid of the creases, e.g. by ironing them?

Maggie

I do make a copy of all my certificates before filing my originals and use the copy if I need to make another copy to send or scan to somebody else. I keep this copy behind the original in my plastic sleeves which are in a file. This way the originals keep flat and clean.
As mentioned before not many of the certificates are actual oringinals but copies sent by GRO. Irene

FRom what you all say, I don't need to spend so much money.

I looked at tissue paper, but couldn't imagine inserting it easily into a pastic wallet.

I think I'll go with the pH-nuetral paper, and find a portrait binder.

Thanks

Maggie

Hi Maggie
Please can you tell me where to get acid free tissue paper, not for my documents, I want to store my grandmothers wedding dress(1911) safely
Thanks
Pammy

Hi Pammy

I can't remember which stall I saw it on, but there are several websites you can try:

www.my-history.co.uk

www.GenealogySupplies.com

www.cab-search.co.uk

The ones from cab are 20 x 30 inches, a pack of 10 sheets is £1.50.

Maggie

I got a long landscape binder and packs of both long and short (A4) wallets a few months ago from www.arrowfile.com They had a good offer on at the time, free leather binder and postage if you spent over a certain amount.. Not sure if the offer is still on, but worth checking.

W H Smith sell acid free plastic wallets (with holes for filing in A4 Lever Arch file if you wish.)

They come in packs of 50 the last time I purchased some and were 99p a pack..on special offer.

So needless to say I bought several packs as I too have hundreds of certificates.

.

Thank you all for that information, recently found my Great grandfather's smoking hat I need to store as well!
Pammy

A couple of years ago I bought some sheets of acid-free tissue paper in an art supply shop, as I wanted to wrap my grandfathers paintings separately rather than have them all stored together in one heap (2 had stuck together).
Huia.

Thanks folks.

I looked at arrowfile, they offer some different things but I couldn't see a special offer to suit me. The certificate sleeves are still pricey.

Teresa, I already have packs of the sort that Staples do but I'm told (?) they are not long-lasting, and they are also portrait so they don't fit into any of the nice binders that I would like.

I'll keep looking.

Maggie