Here's the way I display my awards. These pictures were taken a while back- I now display one group per frame. If the group doesn't fit in one of these frames, or fit in the smaller size, it gets sold. If I run out of room to display a group, it gets sold too! (Unfortunately, I'm getting to the point now where almost every group I have on display is one of my 'favorites'!)
The frames come with padding inside. I purchased a pile of old black cashmere wool 'cutting scraps' from a tailor shop when I was stationed in Japan, and that has provided a nice background for the groups.
The great thing about the frames is that nothing has to get pinned, taped, glued, velcroed, or anything else that might disturb the originality of the award or document. On rare occasions, I have to stick another piece of paper behind a document to keep it in place, especially those around the larger orders (i.e. Service to the Homeland) as they'll press the foam in and the items around them will slip a little in the frame. A tiny piece of folded paper behind the document takes care of that in a jiffy!
I've been able to display awards in their award boxes, as well as very deep items (the large gramota for the Lenin Prize, for instance) by simply cutting out a bit of the foam in the frame and displaying it from there.
I was initially very worried about displaying groups with photos in the frames, especially in a very humid environment (Japan) but I've never had a problem with photos sticking or anything else like that. I've had my groups mounted in frames like these for four years now, and have never once encountered a problem. (Giving credit where credit is due - Ed Maier got me 'hooked' on displaying my groups this way!)
Displaying the groups this way not only allows me and others the enjoyment of seeing all the groups on a regular basis, but it also protects the groups from dust and the 'wear and tear' of sitting on the shelf!
If I could figure a way to get the photos bigger, I'd put up bigger photos, but till then- this is as good as I can do!
--Dave
The frames come with padding inside. I purchased a pile of old black cashmere wool 'cutting scraps' from a tailor shop when I was stationed in Japan, and that has provided a nice background for the groups.
The great thing about the frames is that nothing has to get pinned, taped, glued, velcroed, or anything else that might disturb the originality of the award or document. On rare occasions, I have to stick another piece of paper behind a document to keep it in place, especially those around the larger orders (i.e. Service to the Homeland) as they'll press the foam in and the items around them will slip a little in the frame. A tiny piece of folded paper behind the document takes care of that in a jiffy!
I've been able to display awards in their award boxes, as well as very deep items (the large gramota for the Lenin Prize, for instance) by simply cutting out a bit of the foam in the frame and displaying it from there.
I was initially very worried about displaying groups with photos in the frames, especially in a very humid environment (Japan) but I've never had a problem with photos sticking or anything else like that. I've had my groups mounted in frames like these for four years now, and have never once encountered a problem. (Giving credit where credit is due - Ed Maier got me 'hooked' on displaying my groups this way!)
Displaying the groups this way not only allows me and others the enjoyment of seeing all the groups on a regular basis, but it also protects the groups from dust and the 'wear and tear' of sitting on the shelf!
If I could figure a way to get the photos bigger, I'd put up bigger photos, but till then- this is as good as I can do!
--Dave
