Acrylic vs. Glass Display Cases: Which One is Right for Your Collection?
Your collection of autographed baseballs is doubtlessly one of your most prized possessions. How you display them is a very important decision to make. The two most common materials used in display cases are glass and acrylic, and your choice between the two will depend on how and where you would like to display your baseballs, baseball gloves and baseball bats. No matter what piece of your baseball memorabilia collection you want to show off, you can find a case for it. We will go over some of the pros and cons for each so that you will be able to make the most educated decision for selecting your own baseball display case variety.
Acrylic: Why it’s Good
Acrylic display cases are very lightweight, so if your walls are not terribly supportive or if you just don’t want to deal with moving around a heavy display case, an acrylic display might be the best bet for you. Acrylic is also a very durable material. It’s shatterproof, so if you’re displaying your balls in a home with pets or children, it might be a good idea to invest in an acrylic baseball display case. If it gets bumped and falls to the floor, there won’t be any damage to the case. Finally, acrylic is the most optically pure display case material. It isn’t as heavily tinted as glass, and frequently comes with a highly effective UV-resistant coating built into it, which can help ensure that your autographed baseballs retain their clarity and beauty. Acrylic display cases are also less expensive than glass display cases.
Acrylic: Why it’s Bad
Acrylic may be more durable than glass, but it’s much easier to scratch or groove. While it may not break, acrylic material is very easy to gouge, and it can also frequently bow out over time while glass remains more rigid.
Glass: Why it’s Good
Glass is scratch-proof, so it can withstand any sort of superficial damage that an acrylic case couldn’t escape without damage. If your baseball display case is in an area of the house where it could be bumped or jostled, the rigid nature of glass may make it a better choice than acrylic (provided the case doesn’t fall off of the wall, of course). Glass is also a long-lasting material that does not deform over time like acrylic.
Glass: Why it’s Bad
Glass is obviously easily breakable, so there’s more risk of you needing to purchase a replacement display case if your glass case dropped or suffered blows. Glass is also not as transparent as acrylic, and often doesn’t feature UV-resistant features like acrylic display cases. If glass does have UV-resistant properties, it’s usually much more expensive than acrylic cases with the same feature. Glass display cases are also more expensive than acrylic ones.
These are the key criteria for deciding between acrylic or glass display cases. Your choice will ultimately depend on how much you are willing to spend on displays for your memorabilia, if you display it in an area of the house where it could be damaged and the amount of sunlight your memorabilia will receive.