How do I keep and store a collectible doll?
I got the 12 inch Baroness figure for the upcoming movie GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra. It’s a San Diego Comic Con exclusive. If you google “baroness 12″ the first search result should be the Hasbro page for it. If you go to Images in Google, you’ll see larger photos of it. You’ll see what I have.
The doll is plastic in the face and hair. The rest of the body is plastic. The legs are covered in leggings made of soft cloth. The coat is some kind of vinyl material or faux leather. The guns are plastic.
The figure comes in the molded red thing. The red thing is like a soft texture. Between the figure and the red material is a clear plastic mold thing so that the red material doesn’t rub off and leave red bits on the doll.
The box is a faux leather type of deal. There’s a magnet strip on the top and bottom to help keep the lid shut. The opposing drawing of the Baroness is a glossy type of cardboard. When the lid is shut, I’m not sure if the drawing board is touching the Baroness in any way.
The box comes closed insde a cardboard box. There was no shrink wrapping.
What’s the best way to store this? At first I thought of putting it in an airtight plastic bag. But I read that it can cause mold to form on the item. From how I described the carrying box and the cardboard box, if I keep the doll in those, will it get enough air ventilation? It’s not air tight but the lid does seal it from light.
The carrying box lid probably doesn’t shut airtight. But the cardboard box does kind of hug it together. Will it be okay like that?
Now about storing the whole thing. I’d like to preserve everything including the cardboard box. What I was thinking was wrapping it casually in a fresh clean towel to protect the cardboard box corners from being smushed in. And putting it all in a tuperware box. The tuperware box isn’t airtight. Just a basic tuperware box to hold it and other items for storage. Is that a good idea? Complete airtight sealing isn’t the plan here.
I know I should not store it in the garage or attic. I won’t be doing that. It will not be exposed to sunlight or room light obviously. But it will be about 4 or 5 feet from a window that is often open for ventilation. The outside air where I live is not especially humid or misty. Normal warm weather air during the day and fairly cold air at night.
When the doll is in its carrying box, in the cardboard box, wrapped in a clean towel, and in a tuperware container, about 5 feet from a bedroom window, will the doll be alright?
Please include any advice if you have any. Thanks.
Answers below in Comments Section
You can keep it in the box with a bag of dessicant in it then store the box in a safe and dry place. The clothes cabinet is the worst place you can keep it in. The dessicant will help control moisture and keep molds from growing. If you want to put the box in another box, I suggest Lock&Lock. They are airtight food containers, good enough to keep photographic equipment.
If you decide to display it, make the area as sealed as possible from air. Most glass cabinets won’t do. It would take customization to properly setup a sealed display cabinet. Again, to control moisture, use dessicants. Not too much though. Some toy parts like cloth and paint may get too dry and crumble.
Of Interest
More