GOLLYBC DISCUSSIONS

Discussions on GollyBC edited by Liz for members of the GollyBC Group.
To be accessed via Yahoo! and GOLLY CORNER.

Cleaning Badges

Q. Having bought some white waistcoat badges which have obviously been cleaned - can cleaning damage the enamel, what is the best way to clean them and does anybody else clean theirs? The two badges in question both look great - almost mint. (Kerry).

Most of the older Golly badges require a thorough cleaning only once with further light cleaning every 2/3 years thereafter. Use a soft brittle brush to remove any dirt - NEVER use any type of power tool or buffing equipment. You can then polish by applying a layer of non- abrasive polish with a soft cloth and if you do either a small area first (or only 1 Golly) you can test any adverse reaction. Also it's better if you can keep your collection in a display case or similar afterwards as even regular handling of them can tarnish them or even promote corrosion. Us humans are just full of bugs! (Dave).
Try cleaning an ancient coin and see what that does to its value. I prefer my 60s badges as they come with a patina of age. (Mike).
I have always cleaned jewellery as I do my badges - with a soft bristle toothbrush and washing up liquid (and a bit of water) for both front and back. It does mean the badge getting wet but I carefully dry them off with a polishing cloth and this has always done the trick for me. Enamels are fairly hard wearing so the washing up liquid will not cause damage. Any abrasive materials should be steered clear of as these will scratch the surfaces. (Tim).
Some of you may be horrified, especially our colleague who made reference to the value of cleaned coins, but here goes.
- For the enamel badges, I use an old army trick for cleaning brass, and that is to immerse them in Coka Cola. No, I’m not joking! It is very mildly acidic, try putting a copper coin in first and see how it brings it up to bright copper. Beware that you don’t leave the Golly in too long as it will eventually eat through the gilding. I take mine out every five minutes and clean with a cotton bud until sparkling. (For the fat Chef, I’d use Diet Coke!)
- All bubble coated badges that are scratched can have the scratches removed quite easily. Simply rub the coating with Brasso Wadding. It is very mildly abrasive and will fetch out all marks, then buff with a cotton cloth. You will be amazed at the result. The badge looks newer than new and even has a ‘wet’ look to it. I have noticed that some bubble coatings are ‘harder’ than others and whilst some can be polished easily, others require a lot more effort, but the same result can be achieved.
- I have used Brasso on a cotton bud to successfully fetch out blemishes in the paint on Acrylic badges too. Extreme caution must be used that you don’t go ‘through’ the paint, so use minimal pressure or the badge will be ruined. Grubby Acrylics can also be cleaned by lightly ‘dusting’ with Brasso and a cotton bud. I have tried these methods by experimentation and they work. However, I am sure a few eyebrows will be raised and a healthy debate will ensue.
Needless to say, neither I nor GollyBC can be held responsible if you try these methods and something goes wrong. The decision is entirely yours, I have merely pointed out the way! (Graham).

How do you display your brooch collection?

Q. I am now tired of looking at my badges in boxes and have now today ordered a small display case to be made for me. I will then get artist's board cut to size of base and stick 1/2 inch foam to this and cover with cloth. Please tell me what type of 'glue' or paste to use to stick foam to board that causes NO damage or harm to badges. I've heard in past that some can / may cause colour changes to badges after a time, so naturally I want to avoid this. Secondly, is it OK to varnish the display case when completed or will that cause damage? What type of vanish should I get? (Eric).

Some glues will melt foam rubber, but if you use 'Copydex' (a rubber based glue) this won't happen but whether it will cause discolouration or not I couldn't say. We use it at work for sticking cloth material and it doesn't 'bleed' through. Another idea might be to glue the foam to artists board and then cover the foam with the cloth and wrap it round and glue it to the back of the artists board leaving the cloth unglued to the foam. (Chas).

I found a thimble case which I had used for collecting thimbles and the badges i have fit in there perfectly!. (Laura).

I thought one way would be to cut a slit, say with a stanley knife in the foam then press the brooch clasp into the pin. (Chris).

A tip would be not to totally stick the foam as it makes it difficult to pull the badges off and put them on, he used drawing pins to stick the foam to the case and it really does look smart. Another important tip is pick a nice colour for the cover of the foam. (Lisa).

I have my gollies displayed in a Victorian egg collector's cabinet. It has 10 drawers & each drawer is fitted with a glass lid. To actually display the gollies I buy a pack of polystyrene ceiling tiles, cut the tile to fit the drawer and then cover the polystyrene with velvet. I use an ordinary paper stapler to staple the velvet to the tile on the back and then cover the edges on the back with parcel tape because velvet has a tendency to fray.

I have display cases on the wall with my Hard Rock Cafe badges in. I buy display cases from Hobby Craft, they come in various sizes & finishes, using the same method inside as the golly drawers.

Finally for overspill badges I use exactly the same inside but put it into the flat Ferrero Rocher chocolate boxes - these are ideal because they have see through lids. (Jackie).

A friend of mine has each set in a separate picture frame of his own making with a hinged front to allow easy access. The badges are mounted on polystyrene and held in place by those old-fashioned brass paper-fasteners that have a head and two prongs. The head is placed at the back of the badge with the prongs going either side of the pin, through the polystyrene and then separated to hold it in place. (Jeremy).

I also had trouble finding 1/2" foam and in the end went to a car upholstery stall at my local market and found the ideal stuff which is used for people wanting to re-upholster their car seats.

I then bought a large picture frame and removed the glass and cut a piece of foam to cover the backing board. I then stretched my material over the foam and backing board and fastened it with drawing pins on the back. Pins are easy enough to fasten and when I have to attach the badges with butterfly type backs I just take the backing board off, put them through the foam and material and put the backing board back on. (Helen).

Rather than use Artists' board, why don't you use soft Fibreboard, (available at most good timber merchants, B&Q, Homebase etc) similar to the stuff used for Noticeboards and false ceiling tiles? If you buy it three eights thick or so, it is very easily cut with a saw or even a Stanley knife. Then buy some felt, of whatever colour you like, and then place the board on top and cut the felt around it leaving enough overlap to fold it around the board and then just staple it to the back. Even the cheapest stapler will be strong enough. Then pop the board inside your frame and then you can just use the pin of the badge to secure it to the board in whatever position you want to, as you would if you were wearing it on a jacket lapel. I find they look great, and you can then easily shuffle them around as you add more to your collection, or even if you want to get the odd one out to wear it!

No Glue, no messy chemicals. Mine are on black felt, which the missus says looks a bit satanic, but I've tried other colours and I think it shows them off the best. The only other colour I found reasonable was Royal blue, but in the end it's down to personal taste.

The varnish on the outside of the case shouldn't be a problem, but why don't you get the frame made up of Picture frame material and then it's already a polished wood effect, and is available in a multitude of colours and finishes?

Just for the record the display boxes I use are made up for me by a picture framer, ( Approx cost about Ł20. A lot cheaper if you do it yourself, but it can be awkward if you are not adept at wood work) and consists of quarter inch MDF made into an open box to what ever measurement I want. ( Usually 2' x 1'6" x 1" deep ). A frame made out of a moulded picture frame material, hinged at one side, attached to the box, with glass in the it. I then insert the fibreboard, once I've covered it in Felt and bingo, two wall fixings and away we go. (John).

I bought some box frames, covered a piece of cardboard in a piece of red velvet (only a few Ł's) and put the pins into the cardboard.

My husband has promised to make me a display coffee table with a glass top, that I can display my gollies in. (Alexa).

Several years ago I compiled a list of ideas for how people "displayed theirs". It's on the FAQ section of my site, "Q. How do you display your brooches?" (Liz).
My local picture frame it shop sells 25mm (1") deep display cases finished off in pine for around Ł12. A combination of dark wood stain and varnish adds ensures it matches the mahogany wood finish of a modern house. Internally the base (cardboard) is covered in a velvet type cloth lightly glued with Copydex. Pressed to the internal glass surface is a 25mm surrounding border, supplied by the shop. The cases are simply fixed to the wall hooks by eyelets and cord.

The two cases measure 420 x 420 (mm) and are nearly full! My next project will be to source smaller cases and display the sets by issue dates. Special editions (e.g. FW Gollies, Olympic sets, etc) and of course the GBC badges are exhibited in a glass fronted free standing display case. (Nigel).
We have plain wall displays that have been sectioned into about 25 little areas. There is a "roof" over the top that forms four more sections.

We have cut ceiling tiles to fit into each section and covered these with felt. We have then pushed the badges into the tiles.
Melanie's Collection
(Melanie).
I use W H Smith's Coin disply pages to keep my Golly Badges in order.

Each page has 16 square pockets into which a golly badge fits neatly. There is a space for a description under each pocket. They come either with an album or just as spare sheets.

Some advantages of this way of displaying I find are:-
- it's easy to flick over and see the backs of the badges.
- The pages can either be kept in a binder or pinned to a background.
- They are easy to flip through when you are e-baying etc
- you can hide them away when you desire security.
(Trevor).
Other collection's displayed
Pete's Collection
Ron's Collection - Display 1
Ron's Collection - Display 2. I have made one of these for each of the last four sets of Golly brooches. It was a photo box from Tesco's. I put my felt covered card in where the photos were, created a cover and yet another brilliant idea comes to life.
Kim's Collection
Other collection's displayed in cases made by a contact of Mick's
Tim's Collection (Cabinet Open)
Tim's Collection (Cabinet Shut)
Helen's new display cabinet #1. Note Helen sold her collection in 2004.
Helen's new display cabinet #2. Note Helen sold her collection in 2004.
Ben's new display cabinet #1.
Ben's new display cabinet #2.

Keep Golly brooches in their bags?

Q. I was wondering what to do with mint badges in bags. I like to see them but I don't want to lose half their value by taking them out of the bags. Do you chuck away the bags or keep them in a drawer. With the ones in cases, do I display them and keep the boxes in a drawer where they will disappear down a wormhole? (Ben).

I keep mine in the bags (but mine aren't on display), where I have them, I keep them for the sake of completeness. I don't go out of my way to get Mint In Bag badges and certainly wouldn't pay a premium for the pleasure. Lets face it, these plastic bags have no beauty, tell you nothing about the contents and don't even protect very well (I've had damaged badges MIB before now) so why would they be worth anything ? They have none of the desirable features of the boxes that add value to diecast model vehicles, for example, and so should not have the same effect on prices. (Jeremy).

I don't really believe that many of the badges I see in bags are original bags. It's dead easy to find small plastic bags and staples. Mint in bag attracts no more money than mint as far as I'm concerned, so tear the bag open and enjoy the badge. (Mike).

After hearing about all the many styles of display cases, I had thought how disappointed everyone would be with my collection all kept in their bags and hidden away in tins.

I do have the practical problem though of living in small student accommodation and with the hassle of moving regularly. Maybe one day I'll give them room to stretch their legs and bring them out into the daylight.

Then of course there was the earlier discussion started by Liz Prigg where people were concerned that storing the large 90s badges in their plastic bags caused them to discolour. I also saw some of these badges that had been in the damp and they seemed to have 'rusted'.(Mike).

Maybe you could put pins through the top of the bags in a display case? (Mags).
I've taken all my badges out of their bags because I want to see them. I just can't understand how anybody who likes these things would not! Who on earth believes sellers when they say "Still in manufacturesrs bag"? What a lot of nonsense. You don't have to be Houdini to remove a staple from a plastic bag and put it back again.

I think that people don't realise how resilient the surfaces of the badges are, especially the enamel ones. It's actually fairly difficult to mark the fronts of badges unless they come into contact with hard abrasive things, which is unlikely in the tender care of a collector.

I keep most of mine on a long length of black cloth. When I put them away I roll the cloth up which means the golly is protected by soft cloth. Easy to look at, easy to store. I happen not to want them on a wall in my house.

The trouble I find in displaying is the tediousness of moving them around as your collection grows. No one wants to start off with a case that could take 400 or so badges with only a handfull in it. I have thought about an expanding system quite a lot as for 20 years I used to build prototypes of new designs and should be good at this sort of thing, but in my procrastinating way haven't done anything as yet (and probably never will).

Funnily enough, having a website is a great way of looking at your own collection although mine is seriously out of date. Finding a golly on eBay and then being able to compare it with what you have or not in your collection without getting up from your chair is really handy. (Jules).

Insuring a collection

Q. Can you give me some advice on insurance for my golly collection? Am I right in saying that it's not covered by ordinary household insurance, as it's a 'specialist' type of collection?

What companies (and premiums) undertake this type of insurance?

Has anyone ever had to make a claim and if so how well was it dealt with? Are you a satisfied? (Eric).

My collection is covered under my normal house insurance. It is not a 'collection' it is lots of small items. As long as no single item (badge) has a value greater that Ł2000 they are covered. I have insisted that I have this in writing too. (Will).

I've just been through this process myself and after along a winding road being shoved from one insurance expert to another, I finally found out that my collection is covered by my household insurance, under Contents. They are only not insured if I should take them away from the house, i.e. to show them somewhere. The insurance company did say though, that a picture of each one of them, or in small groups would be of benefit in assessing the value, should the worst happen. (John).

I asked a well known collector and he gave me the following suggestions:-

CGI Services Limited (Dept 20dh) 29 Bewhay Lane, Exeter, EX4 1PE tel 01392 427 632. Claim to cover all collectables.
Collectors Insurance, 5 Market Place, Brackley, Northants NN13 7AB. Does an all risks insurance. No telephone number given except the underwriters, who are Travel and Personal Underwriters Limited, 85 Gracechurch Street, London EC3V 0LQ tel 020 7929 1066. I note this is an old London code, but the web telephone directory may help for both.

I have no personal experience of either. (Liz).

I insure my Gollies/Teds through Magpie Collectors Insurance based in Egham Surrey, Tel: 01784 431213 or email. Premium was calculated at 60p per each Ł100 plus insurance tax, with a minimum premium of Ł30, You have to give details of each items over Ł100. Fortunately I have not had to make a claim so can not comment about that but I have taken photo graphs of my collection and keep receipts where possible. (Louise).

S I T E M A P

Golly Corner/GollyBC: GollyBC Discussions / revised January 2003