It's a fact of life that tin corrodes and discolours over time. I no longer have my original Chad Valley pillar box money bank (bought in Southsea in December 1978 and owned until its demise in 1989), but going by the above old photo, the gold coloured base, though dulled, doesn't look corroded. However, in the second photo (actually taken a short time before the third), neither do the two replacements I obtained around a year or two back - whereas in the third photo, the corrosion is obvious (I showed them out of sequence to better illustrate my point). That means, despite not being visible in the first photo, my original bank may've been similarly affected, though I can never know for sure unless I have other, clearer and sharper versions somewhere. (Probably best to enlarge each photo to better see what I'm talking about.)
Anyway, look at that third photo again and then compare it with the fourth photo (below) taken only today. Last night I decided to improve the look of the bases, so I masked off the upper part of each bank and applied some gold acrylic spray paint - what a difference! However, this post isn't just to blow my own trumpet, it's also so I can ask a question of fellow collectors of toys and comics, etc. Which is - would you attempt to improve the cosmetic appearance of something (assuming you had the skill to do it), or do you believe that things should be left as they are, despite any flaws, imperfections or damage? I know that when it comes to preserving monetary value, some people believe that collectable items should remain untouched, but the financial aspect has never been a concern of mine. I just want things to look as good as they can.
That's why I colour touch comic covers, discreetly repaint parts of toys, and generally try to maximise their cosmetic appearance, but I wondered what the rest of you crazy Crivvies think. To retouch or not to retouch? If you have an opinion on the subject, feel free to share it in the comments section.
And just to more fully demonstrate exactly what I mean, below is a comic cover in 'before and after' condition. Achieved by the application of acrylic inks, I think it looks much better after I've worked on it. Agree or disagree? Click to enlarge for a clearer comparison.
2 comments:
Retouching any item would depend on my own skills. If there is a monetary consideration any retouching should be left to an expert however if it's just for one's pleasure such as a toy do it ones self.
The tins are gold where varnish was applied to bare metal so touching up with gold paint should have a good result.
My retouching of the two banks has come out very well and gives them a taste of their 'youth' again, T47 (in other words, made them look new), so I'm very pleased with the result. Is there no beginning - oops, I mean end - to my talents. (Whaddya mean I was right the first time?)
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