It is important to note that not all modern papers will fluoresce this way as optical brighteners are not added to all modern paper. If paper stock fluoresces very bright as just described, it almost certainly was made after the mid 1940s. To find out what this looks like shine a recently made white trading card, family snapshot or most types of today’s computer paper under a black light. In a dark room and under black light optical brighteners will usually fluoresce a very bright light blue or bright white. Paper manufacturers joined the act as well, adding optical brighteners to many, though not all, of their white papers stocks.Ī black light can identify many trading cards, posters, photos and other paper items that contain optical brighteners. Optical brighteners were added to laundry detergent and clothes to help drown out stains and to give the often advertised `whiter than white whites.’ Optical brighteners were added to plastic toys to makes them brighter and more colorful. They were used to make products appear brighter in normal daylight, which contains some ultraviolet light. Optical brighteners are invisible dyes that fluoresce brightly under ultraviolet light. Starting in the late 1940s, manufacturers of many products began adding `optical brighteners’ and other new chemicals to their products. Identification of Modern Papers Using Black LightĪ black light is effective in identifying many, though not all, modern paper and cardboard stocks. The quality of fluorescence happens at the atomic level of the material. Under ultraviolet light, gemstones and antique glass can fluoresce red, yellow, green, purple, white and orange. Some materials fluoresce brightly, some not at all and the rest somewhere in between. Most of us have experienced black lights that make the whites on our shirts or shoes glow brightly. However, in a dark room materials can fluoresce (glow) under black light. Ultraviolet light is outside the human’s visible spectrum, meaning it cannot be seen by human eyes. While there are many uses for black light in collecting and beyond, this article shows how it can be used to identify modern paper and cardstock.Ī black light allows the collector to see things invisible under normal daylight. This tool is called an ultraviolet light or black light. For collectors of Pre World War II paper memorabilia-whether it’s baseball cards, photographs, scorecards, advertising posters or booklets- there is a sophisticated yet inexpensive and easy to use tool for quickly identifying many modern reprints and fakes.
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