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Hopefully, you've had a chance to see our collection of images in the Corona Labels Gallery! Now let's get into how you can master your own label collection...
Why Preserve Them?
Why Preserve Them?
The Americas Artifacts website sums it up best: "History lives through the objects left behind by those who came before us." Our history defines us as a culture!
Today, labels are prized by: Museums, archives, historians, designers, educators, and collectors who appreciate vintage ephemera. Preservation keeps these resources accessible for research and enjoyment.
How To Preserve Labels
How To Preserve Labels
Handling Vintage Labels
Handle vintage paper items with clean, dry hands. Avoid using gloves, as they can reduce dexterity and increase the risk of accidental damage. Do not use hand sanitizers or lotions. Keep items away from direct sunlight, moisture, and extreme temperatures, which can cause fading and deterioration. Store them flat in acid-free folders or sleeves, and avoid using tape, paperclips, or adhesives. When displaying or transporting, support fragile papers fully to prevent tears or creases. Here are Tips from the National Archives.
Don't forget that original citrus labels are between 70-140 years old!! The paper is often fragile and can be easily torn. None of the materials were designed to last more than the short lifespan of the wooden crate they were meant to be glued to.
How Should I Store My Labels?
For safe storage, consider using comic book storage supplies, which are designed with archival quality in mind. BCW Treasury Bags are 10 ½ x 13 ½" are ideal for vintage citrus labels and the matching BCW Treasury Backing Boards are an absolute must. You can easily find these for sale on Amazon and eBay. This offers both protection and support for years to come. These materials are acid-free and help prevent bending, exposure to dust, and environmental damage, making them a practical choice for collectors and archivists preserving valuable ephemera.
Be sure to insert the backing board facing the correct way, typically the shiny side goes against the label.
There are many options for storage boxes. It's best to opt for an archival box that will ensure your labels remain flat and moisture-free. Try to avoid flimsy protective sleeve or binders so you don't cause unnecessary stress on the paper.
Want to display your prized original labels?
You should! But take the proper precautions… The cheapest picture frames available online may not be your best option. We highly recommend using UV-protection Conservation glass or similar museum glass. Paper left exposed to seemingly soft LED lighting will eventually cause irreparable fading to the vintage ink. Direct sunlight will cause permanent fading in mere days! Many preservationists will heavily encourage collectors to keep original artifacts safe and enjoy a framed photocopy. Copies are relatively cheap and print shops are plentiful.
We encourage you to read more on the Proper Framing of Historical Documents, etc.
Scanning Labels
Scanning Labels
A scan should best represent how the label looks in real life. This can be a tricky process, as most personal scanners are too small for for citrus labels that tend to be over 12 inches wide and many models tend to improve the images with digital enhancements.
You should probably understand your scanner before putting in lots of work, as every scanner (even between similar models) will produce different results. We decided, for the sake of consistency, to use a service available to all Corona residents: The Corona Public Library. Don't forget to start with a clean scanning surface and try to minimize the amount of surrounding dust. If your scans end up showing nuisance artifacts or defects, avoid using digital clean-up or A.I. to improve the image. This is subjective, but our approach is purely in the interest of archiving.
The Heritage Room features a Kyocera 4054ci workstation we used for scanning nearly every label featured in the Corona Labels Gallery. Using the "Full Color" "Photo" and "TIF" settings, we attempted to capture the images with zero enhancement. Below is the same 1971 Kodak control card scanned at 3 different settings. Notice how on default and text modes, shading and color details begin to get lost.
"Photo" setting
"Default" setting
"Text" setting
Nearly all scans you see in the Gallery were done at 600 DPI. All images are uploaded to this website at reduced quality. If there are any scans you are interested in viewing at highest quality, please Contact Us.
"Photo" setting
"Default" setting
Here, you can see the potential implications for creating a digital archive with the wrong settings. We scanned the same original Corona Belle brand label with different modes.
The "photo" setting very closely matches the artifact's true nature.
The "default" (text/photo) selection has subtly enhanced the image by boosting contrast. Although the result is attractive, it is an unrealistic representation of the original.
Kyocera 4054ci
Brother All-In-One
Not all scanners are the same! Here is the same original Minerva brand label scanned on two different brand scanners. Both scans are presented in JPG format at 300 DPI for comparison.
The Kyocera workstation presents a very true-to-life representation of the Minerva label.
The Brother All-In-One workstation matches the original in both detail and proportion. In addition, there is an apparent enhancement in contrast, which improves the separation between highlights, midtones, and shadows.
Grading Your Labels
Grading Your Labels
Our examples are graded using the CGC standard 10-point scale to maintain consistency. In an online world where comparisons can quickly become chaotic, we decided on this standard to help ground our evaluations. Please note, however, that all grading has been done informally and voluntarily to the best of our abilities, not by certified professionals. We chose the comic book grading system because it offers some of the most consistent and widely understood terminology in the world of collectibles. We hope this is a practical fit for researching labels.
Create a Legacy
Create a Legacy
Linda and Ed Faxon
History lives in the details we choose to preserve. By collecting pieces of the past, such as citrus box labels, you can help protect the story of our community for generations to come.
For more than four decades, Ed and Linda Faxon were dedicated to preserving the history of Corona. What began as a passion became a lifelong commitment to collecting and safeguarding the city’s past. Through years of careful work, they found and saved pieces of local history that might otherwise have been forgotten. Today, their dedication and hard work can be seen throughout the city!
Their journey shows that you don’t need to be a professional historian to make a difference. Collecting history is a way to honor the past, educate the present, and inspire the future. The legacy Ed and Linda Faxon built over a lifetime reminds us that any person’s dedication can preserve an entire city’s story.
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