Popular preservation tools for trade cards

As trade cards started to survive past their original life expectancy, they began to be collected. Since they had started to be collected, they began to gain value, this meant the nicer the card was, the more expensive it was valued at.

Trade cards ar usually preserved in plastic sleeves, either separately or in a binder sheet. These protective shields keep the colors from being worn or scratched away as well as preventing them from being lost. The trade card on this exhibit is stored in the University of Guelph archive, where they are kept in plastic sleeves. You also have to sign this item out, as well as be monitored while handling it to ensure it stays in the best condition.

These cards are usually preserved in archives in towns where they are relevant, as well as personal collectors who obtain the trade cards as a hobby.