Hi , I have a couple questions about sticker sheets

happyskunky

What is the best way to keep them protected if your set is open and do sticker sheets go bad eventually?  Lets say you have a sticker sheet safe for 20 years.  Will you still be able to peel them , be sticky and work 20 years later?

JudgeChuck

That's a question that has bugged me somewhat as well and I have no idea of the answer.

For sets that I have opened, I have been applying the stickers to them and obtaining spare sticker sheets from BrickLink for each one. I am storing all of them in sealed ziplock bags so, hopefully, they'll keep okay.

I'll let you know how they are in about 20 years' time! ;-)

PeteM

I can't speak to current stickers quality, but I have several sheets from my 12v trains (back when you used to get an entire sheet with liveries from different countries on) which are just fine. However, I imagine the adhesive and material used might have changed since then, so you might have to wait and see!

stlux

Like @PeteM, I have sticker sheets from 1980 which are still fine. As long as the recent sticker sheets are of similar quality and you store them with at least a little bit of care, you should be fine.

CCC

Keep them flat in a box file and you should be fine. It is also worth taking a photographic record of the bigger / expensive ones too. You can always print and cut your own rather than using the originals.

happyskunky

Thank you for all the responses :D

vaoinas

I have experience with 2 set's from early 90's: one was MISB #4021, other one was #6348 in excellent condition with unused original sticker sheet. I obtained both of these sets last year and put those - respectively 26 and 22 year old - stickers on. Stickers glued as new without any problems and are still on without any peeling.

So as far as you store them good, I guess they're fine after 20+ years.

BigOnBricks

I collect replacement sticker sheets for all of my new purchases.  For those sheets I put them in Ultra Pro brand Platinum Series collectors sheets.  I use baseball card, 5x7 and 8x10 sizes.  I have them in a binder.  The sheets are archival safe, no PVC - acid free.

Lego_Lord_Mayorca

I'll echo the positive responses with my own experiences from a recent build of my MIB #6991 Monorail Transport Base. The sticker sheet was never used, and I applied a couple to the transparent blue window pieces that make up the back and front train modules. They stuck on just fine, and they are well over twenty years old. As long as the sheet is flat and no edges curled to expose the stickiness to the air, you should be fine.

oldtodd33

^ Please tell me you're kidding about using the stickers, right?

madforLEGO

I think there is another thread about this subject somewhere but.... I used to keep them all flat in a giant plastic ziploc bag. Now they are all piled into a few short and wide tupperware type bins, and I plan on sorting them by theme. So keep them in an airtight container; out of sunlight. At least, that is what I do.

ecmo47

If you are getting your stickers out of a 20 year old sealed set, they will very likely be wrinkled and bent from not being stored flat. Generally, the adhesiveness will be fine but the sticker(s) will have a perma-crease in it.