This trade card served as a reminder to a consumer as to where they bought their goods. Because of this, it's likely that the previous owner kept it as a reminder of such. It's also an important piece of history, and the factory and business no longer exists, so the keeper may be more inclined to keep it for the memory and historical significance. The Bell Organ and Piano Co. is a great part of Canadian, and more locally, Guelph history. It was such an influential and successful business, and this trade card serves as evidence and as a reminder of that.

The University of Guelph Archives and Special Collections has preserved this piece of ephemera by placing it in a clear plastic sleeve and storing it in a temperature controlled environment. The sleeve helps to protect against different types of damage, like oils transferring from handling it with bare hands, scratches or scrapes, and creases and folds. The paper is quite thin and aged, and so it's quite delicate, meaning that if your were to take it out of the sleeve, you'd have to be careful handling it. The Archives does a great job with keeping records of their collections and preserving any and all information about the objects within them. This preserves the memory and story of objects, much like this trade card.