Layered cels question.

The last 2 layered cels I have purchased have both been 2 layer and both of them have been stapled together. Is this common practice or is this the previous owners doing?

Very common. Animators are liberal with their use of staples and cellotape to hold cels, backgrounds and sketches together. Great for the production, not so great for us collectors... If you think the staples might eventually rust, you should remove them before they damage the cels.

I'm pretty sure that it's the cel dealers who staple them, not the animators. Cel dealers usually (at least, in the old days when cels were still being produced) buy entire cuts of cels, then put them together in ways that they believe will make the cel sell for more. They're the ones who do/did the stapling and taping. ^_~

Doh, Yes, you're right. Animators wouldn't staple the cels and bg's because they have to switch them out for filming. The only time for studio based stapling would be afterwards, where they dumped them in piles instead. Stapling finished stuff? Likely not. I think they kept them around for a bit in case they had to reshoot something--in which case stapling would be detrimental.

Most of my tape and staples are from animators because I'm primarily a sketch collector now. If you ever encounter cut and taped registration holes (cels or sketches), those are animator done, too.

I would [i]carefully[/i] remove the staples regardless of the possibility of rust. If you store them in a way that any weight or pressure will be applied, the staples will work their way through to the next cel leaving little dents.