29 combat art on paper items in the conservation lab - Check out these rarely seen works of art and get collection care tips from an art conservator.

1. Military
WWII
Memorabilia
US
Coast
Guards
–
Artwork
from
the
National
Headquarters
–
Collection
Care
Tips
for
Collectors
By
Scott
M.
Haskins,
Art
Conservator
Fine
Art
Conservation
Laboratories
(FACL)
was
recently
awarded
a
contract
to
provide
art
conservation
treatments
on
29
works
of
art
on
paper
belonging
to
the
National
Headquarters
of
the
United
States
Coast
Guard
,
“HSCG
Historic
Art
Collection.”
If
you
are
a
history
buff
of
World
War
II
and
a
collector
of
military
memorabilia
and
collectibles
then
this
article
contains
valuable
collection
care
tips
for
you
and
a
quick
video
“fly
by”
to
let
you
have
an
insider’s
view
of
this
collection
of
original
works
of
art
on
paper.
Most
of
the
art
in
the
USCG
Historic
Art
Collection
is
made
up
of
WW2
era
combat
art
by
artists
who
were
USCG
service
members
during
WW2
and
were
tasked
with
recording
CG
wartime
history
from
CG
cutters
and
shore
locations.
In
addition
to
WW2
combat
art,
the
USCG
Historic
Art
Collection
has
a
smaller
Vietnam
combat
art
collection
(currently
housed
within
the
CG
Art
Program
collection.)
and
a
small
but
growing
recently
painted
art
collection
that
commemorates
life
and
historic
events
in
the
USCG
and
predecessor
agencies.
These
29
original
works
of
art
consist
of
ink
washes,
watercolors
and
different
types
of
pencils
and
constitute
a
small
part
of
the
USCG
combat
art
collection
which
numbers
over
700
pieces.
The
USCG
Historic
Art
Collection
has
all
types
of
art
in
the
collection:
watercolors,
oils,
drawings,
pastels,
ink,
pencils,
and
statues.
See
the
link
to
the
short
video
at
the
end
of
this
article.
Some
works
of
art
are
displayed
in
offices
and
units
at
USCG
HQ,
flag
quarters,
and
when
they
are
on
loan,
to
museums
and
educational
organizations.
“We
tend
to
be
very
selective
when
loaning
the
art
collection
pieces
out
-­‐
we
don't
do
it
very
often.”

2. said
the
curator
in
an
interview.
It
depends
on
the
museum
and
the
exhibition
proposal.
Recently,
FACL
received
this
contract
from
the
United
States
Coast
Guard
to
first
consult
with
them
about
the
needs
of
this
collection
of
29
works
of
art
on
paper
then
to
do
the
art
conservation
treatments
that
are
so
badly
needed.
Given
the
awful
use
of
tape,
adhesives
and
poor
storage
materials,
there
are
some
examples
of
“blatent
proof”
that
collectors
can
take
to
heart
about
what
NOT
to
use
when
gluing,
framing
and
storing.
The
suggestions
and
tips
I’ll
make
have
an
affect
on
value
and
long
term
preservation
of
these
types
of
historical
collectibles.
The
conservation
problems
that
afflict
the
entire
collection
mostly
center
around
the
use
of
Scotch
Tape,
masking
tape,
contact
cement
and
acidic
materials
used
for
framing,
display
and
storage.
Of
course,
as
you
might
imagine,
the
artists
were
using
what
they
had
handy
and
archival
materials
where
unknown
at
the
time.
Here
are
some
great
tips
for
you
of
never-­to-­be-­used
materials
that
collectors
should
be
aware
of
today:
Scotch
tape
(or
any
off
the
shelf
tape),
contact
cement,
cardboard,
white
glue
(or
other
glues
off
the
shelf
of
your
local
store),
dry
mounting,
lamination,
non
archival
matt
boards,
“permanent”
quality
anything
that
will
be
hard
to
remove
in
the
future.
Never
use
or
let
these
materials
come
into
contact
with
original
art
or
meaningful,
historical
information,
like
labels,
notes
and
letters.
Here
is
a
photo
of
the
back
of
an
artwork
that
is
the
framing
job
from
hell:
4
types
of
destructive
tape;
masking,
packing,
scotch
and
electrical.
The
adhesives
from
these
tapes
are
soaked
into
the
paper
fibers
so
you
can’t
get
the
stain
out
and
causes
yellowing.
There
are
historic
labels
on
the
backs
of
all
of
the
work
of
art
and
as
a
collector,
you
can
imagine
the
horror
of
trying
to
preserve
a
historic
label
covered
in
scotch
tape.
Adding
to
the
dilemma
is
the
yellowing
and
embrittlement
of
the
papers
due
to
acids.
So,
the
lesson
to
be
learned
here
is
to
use
archival,
tested
true
materials
for
storage
of
and
treatment
of
your
treasured
memorabilia.
If
your
desire
to
fix
up
or
restore

3. your
collectibles
yourself
gets
into
anything
dicey
or
tricky,
call
a
professional
for
some
coaching.
At
least
find
out
what
you
might
do
to
impact
negatively
the
value.
SaveYourStuffBlog.com
has
been
set
up
to
provide
for
you
ongoing
tips,
examples
and
great
stories
to
help
you
as
a
collector.
Sign
up
in
the
upper
side
bar
for
updates.
We’re
here
to
help.
In
fact,
we’ll
be
posting
more
articles
with
examples
of
the
work
we
are
doing
on
this
military
artwork
memorabilia
collection
so
you
can
benefit
from
our
efforts.
Get
signed
up
(no
cost,
no
spam,
we
don’t
sell
our
list)
and
stay
in
touch
also
on
Facebook
under
Save
Your
Stuff,
Tips
For
Art
Collectors
and
Scott
M.
Haskins.
Scott
Haskins
is
the
author
of
How
To
Save
Your
Stuff
From
A
Disaster
Home
Edition
and
Save
Your
Stuff
in
the
Workplace
Office
Edition
(Morgan
James
Publishing,
NY)
available
on
Amazon
or
as
an
e-­‐book
(50%
off)
I’ve
put
together
a
quick
video
review
of
the
collection
of
29
items.
CLICK
on
this
link.
Scott
M.
Haskins
805
564
3438
Art
conservation
questions
Richard
Holgate
805
895
5121
Art
appraisal
questions