does humidity turn the playing cards yellow while still sealed with plastic ??

[Frost]

i googled it but there was nothing about that, because i'm a collector and i'm worried that my decks mite turn yellow like book pages does anybody know

[Aaron]

I doubt that would happen cards are a different material than books, the only thing I could think of is maybe they could warp.

[dmbaggs]

If you keep them in direct sunlight then something of the sort might happen, but I don't know many collectors that do that. Keep the cards in a box free of moisture and don't let them go out tanning and you should be fine

[Frost]

i ain't really collecting them i'm just waiting for me to get better at card flourishing so i can use them but some i am going to keep sealed.

[AceGambit]

I have two decks that this has happened to, but they are both about 5 years old and have been used for performance.  They are my red masters and white ghost.  I got them in late 2006 and they spent a yr or two in my attic.  Still in their boxes, but possibly in sunlight, I'm not sure.  They are my oldest decks.

[Frost]

i am going to buy a portable dehumidifier they sell them in amazon.com maybe that mite help  so they won't turn yellow .

[Don Boyer]

i am going to buy a portable dehumidifier they sell them in amazon.com maybe that mite help  so they won't turn yellow .

Don't dehumidify them!  When paper dries out, it becomes brittle.  The USPC factory uses humidifiers to keep the paper at the proper moisture level before printing.  The yellowing AceGambit experienced could be as much from drying in the hot attic as from sunlight.

[Frost]

ok thanks for clearing that up for me because i didn't know if it was the humidity turning them yellow or not but now i know 

[xZEROx]

i think it could be the oxidizing reactions that causes the cards to turn yellow but i could be wrong. 

[AceGambit]

i think it could be the oxidizing reactions that causes the cards to turn yellow but i could be wrong.

No, you've got it right about the oxidation.  The chemical compound in paper that oxidizes to give the yellowish tint is called lignin.  The more lignin your paper has in it, the more rapidly your paper will yellow.  Sunlight and air in general can speed up this process.  It will take a while for playing cards to experience this effect due to the chemical composition of the paper used; however it will likely happen eventually whether you like it or not.


So to answer your original question Frost, no, humidity does not turn your playing cards yellow.  Yes they can still turn yellow while sealed in plastic because a deck seal is not an airtight seal; however, the cellophane will extend the period of time before this occurs significantly, as will keeping your cards out of the sun.


I hope this answers pretty much everything you ever wanted to know about your cards changing colors.

[Gunshy1]

uv500 decks turned yellow quite quickly too

[moonexe]

My 1800s were quite yellow when I got them

[john]

My 1800s were quite yellow when I got them

That is odd so were mine... Marcus you got some splaning to do!
...Seriousness...
I know for a fact UV500 deck yellow with cello on. Anything else i don't know to be honest. Get someone with a vintage deck to tell you

[Frost]

nah.. that's how those cards are suppose to be     moon.exe

[moonexe]

Oh, really? I thought it was a defect or something, they looked perfectly white on the pictures... Oh well, maybe next time I should stay away from the purple back ones.

...On a more serious note, I haven't been collecting for long enough to tell, but with my brick of Artifice barely touched, there will come a day where I'll have to open a relatively dated deck and then I'll see.

[Evan]

I ordered the Series 1800 deck too and mine was all yellow and gross. I thought I got an old messed up deck. I

[Aaron]

I will set a bike in my window for a couple weeks and see

[Kanped]

I will set a bike in my window for a couple weeks and see

I would but I live in Ireland so it would only test if Bikes suffer from Season Affective Disorder.

I have a Jack Daniels deck I opened about 5 years ago and it's gone a bit off-colour (not a whole lot).  It's not even in a box, I keep it in a mini DV box.  Works fine, I guess.  Personally, I actually like the fact that they've gone off-colour, I think there's a charm to it.  What's the point in a vintage deck that looks brand new?

[AceGambit]

uv500 decks turned yellow quite quickly too

Hmm, must be the chemicals in the paper.  That would explain my red masters and white ghost from 2006, both UV-500.

[Lushbob]

Personally, I actually like the fact that they've gone off-colour, I think there's a charm to it.  What's the point in a vintage deck that looks brand new?

Haha, that's true!
And about the 1800 decks, mine aren't yellow at all. They've got the old-effect colouring on them, sure. But they're not yellow...

[AceGambit]

Lushbob, do you have an old deck or a new deck of 1800s, a while back they changed them a little bit, with that change came a bit of a color change too.

[Lushbob]

Lushbob, do you have an old deck or a new deck of 1800s, a while back they changed them a little bit, with that change came a bit of a color change too.

Ah, yes. My decks are the old ones.
Okay, thanks for telling me. I might have to pick up some new ones now, and see what they look like.

[Don Boyer]

Lushbob, do you have an old deck or a new deck of 1800s, a while back they changed them a little bit, with that change came a bit of a color change too.

Ah, yes. My decks are the old ones.
Okay, thanks for telling me. I might have to pick up some new ones now, and see what they look like.

The last I heard, the blue decks are still the older stock/finish, while the reds (I own one) are now made with Performance Coating and handle like glass.  I love the new ones, handling-wise they're a world apart from the old clumpy ones.