🙌 Announcement: Encapsulation Improvements

Company News

Dec-06-2024

For immediate release:

Today we are happy to announce that we have upgraded our sleeve encapsulation machinery and we are now able to hermetically seal each individual stereoview holder.  The new continuous ultrasonic seal prevents the passage of oxygen through the archival plastic, whereas we previously relied on fold-and-seal and heat seal technology.

The sleeves we use to encapsulate your stereoviews are made of inert archival plastic, which is specifically designed to store photographic paper for long periods of time.  This prevents any discoloration of the plastic, provides no adhesive contact between the photograph and the inner sleeve, and prevents damage or discoloration to your stereoview.  The low-glare plastic allows you to view your stereoview while minimizing the amount of light reflection on the surface of the sleeve.

Our sleeves are sized to fit most stereoscope viewers.  This way, you can place your stereoview in your viewer without having to remove it from the archival plastic sleeve.  The encapsulation process protects your investment and helps retain the condition and value of your views.

Each encapsulated sleeve is marked with a unique registry identification number.  This unique number is found on the outside of the encapsulation sleeve on the reverse of your stereoview.  This registry number is unique to your stereoview and corresponds with the certificate of authenticity card that you received with your view.  You can use this number to visit the online registry at the WHS Stereoview website, where you will find information and photos of your view.  This allows us all to preserve the provenance of these rare pieces of history, display your collection to other collectors and verify the authenticity of a stereoview when buying online.

Your stereoview should have a corresponding certificate of authenticity that was received at the time of purchase.  If you are purchasing in the secondary market, please ask the dealer for the COA that comes with the stereoview.  If your view is missing the original COA, please contact us using our help page.  The COA has room on the back of the reverse of the card to enter your own collector information.  We encourage you to add your own pedigree to the card!  This will allow you to add your own provenance so that other collectors can enjoy the rich history that your stereoview collection provides.  Previously, collectors would add provenance and pedigrees directly to the back of the stereoview card itself.  The COA allows you to add this information without damaging your stereoview or having to remove it from the archival plastic.

Lastly, you spoke ... and we listened!  Collectors have reached out and asked us if we could provide sticker labels for the boxes that they use to house their collections.  I am happy to announce that these labels have been designed, have successfully went through the production process and have now arrived at our facility.  Moving forward, each package we ship will receive one of these sticker labels so that you can keep your collection organized and cleanly presented!

Josh at WHS Stereoview