Saving Stuff: How to Care for and Preserve Your Collectibles, Heirlooms, and Other Prized Possessions

The most comprehensive book on preserving every type of collectible — from the sentimental to the valuable — from the Smithsonian’s Senior Conservator. For both the serious collector and the sometimes sentimentalist, Saving Stuff explains — in plain language — how you can use the techniques of museum professionals to keep your prized possessions in mint condition. You do not need deep pockets or oodles of time: using Don Williams’s simple instructions, you can preserve anything quickly and inexpensively. In Saving Stuff, he demystifies preservation and presents easy, foolproof methods anyone can use to save nearly everything, including:
Photographs — in print and digital form
Stuff only a parent could love — from baby teeth to old blankets and first artworks
Furniture — whether it’s painted, varnished, or upholstered
Family heirlooms — from silver to rugs to wedding dresses
Sports and political memorabilia — trading cards, posters, equipment, buttons, stickers
Attic leftovers — scrapbooks, military uniforms, medals
Musical instruments
Fine art — oil paintings, etchings, lithographs
Printed matter — comic books, magazines, old letters
And much, much more
With step-by-step instructions, detailed illustrations, tips for making the things you use every day last, and stories about how the Smithsonian takes care of our national treasures, Saving Stuff is the only book you need to take care of the stuff you love.