Advice for people new to cel collecting.

Where can I buy an Itoya cel book as well as acid free materials such as cel bags and cardboard backings?Wouldn't the cel bag stick to the back of the cel?Would rice paper be a good idea?

I want to splurge on the best protection possible.Cost is no problem.:)

Itoya is sold at art supplies stores. They are acid free. Their sleeves are polypropylene and cels don't stick. I heard polypropylene bags are also better than Milar. Cels may stick to Milar. I personally don't like rice paper because cels stick to it. It can be easier to remove though, than regular paper. In general I don't want my cels to stick to anything, because then the paint may peel. In the case of backgrounds the paint may bleed to the cel.
To buy cel bags try the resources page. Send me a message on my feedback if you want to communicate trough email. good luck. Research is very important and you are doing the right thing.

[quote]Is it true that the light from cels being scanned can harm the cel and potentially cause line fading?[/quote]

No. I've never seen any damage from scanning, at the time or later. The light probably does affect the cel, but since it's of such short duration, it is much less damaging than leaving the cel in the open where it is in sunlight or fluorescent lighting for several hours a day for weeks or months at a time.

I'd guess it would be like having an x-ray once in a while for medical reasons vs. living in a house affected by radon where you are exposed to very low levels of radioactivity 24/7. The first won't harm you, the second, sooner or later, will.

Hi everyone,

Firstly, thanks for this thread - it's of great assistance!

I'm a first-time buyer and am very, verrrry interested in a beautiful Ghibli cel on Yahoo Japan, however there's one thing that I'm unsure about.

The cel layer number at the top of the acetate is written in a much thinner, softer black marker than that I've seen on cels from the film. Also, there is a 3 digit number in addition to the cel number (to the left), and my research hasn't (a) uncovered other cels that also have this number or 9B) explained what on earth it could be. I was thinking it could be a scene number?

Could these be signs of a fake? I know this question has been asked in another thread, but I'll ask it again for those who have more Ghibli-cel-buying experience than I - have people encountered many Ghibli fakes out there?

Thanks so much for you help with this.

Lily

Could you provide a link? Thanks.