Deframation
August 30, 2013 7:09 AM   Subscribe

Some time ago I had my diplomas and certificates framed. Now I no longer have an office and I'm tired of storing the frames and moving them from home to home. I want to unframe the documents and sell the mats and frames.

The framing was done by a very nice independent frame shop. There are four frames in solid mahogany, and mats for each frame (two of the frames' mats have double cutouts for two documents). The frames are in very good condition.

1. Can I undo the framing myself? I don't want to throw good money after bad to get the documents out, but I would like to save them. I have no idea how they are mounted. Each frame has a brown paper back.

2. Assuming I can deframe them, how do I sell the frames themselves? Would a frame shop give me anything for them or do I have to try my luck on Craigslist? Or should I give up on the idea of selling them at all, and just donate them to a thrift store? I don't expect to get much for them, I would just like to see them go to a good home and I worry about them getting scratched up at a thrift store.

The chances that anyone will have the exact documents that I had framed are slim to none, so the buyer(s) would probably have to have new mats cut.
posted by payoto to Home & Garden (8 answers total)
 
You can open the backs by removing the paper. Take out the certificates, and then donate the frames.

It's just stuff and stuff you don't want anymore. I suppose you could list on Craigslist, but I doubt you'll get enough to off-set the hassle of having to deal with selling them. Seriously, you'd be lucky to get $5 apiece for them. I'd MUCH rather donate them.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:17 AM on August 30, 2013 [1 favorite]


Since all diplomas are kind of non-standard sizes, you might have better luck reselling them on the local craigslist/student newspaper where your degree-granting institutions are. (Still don't know that resell is a good idea though.)
posted by resurrexit at 7:21 AM on August 30, 2013 [2 favorites]


Donate. Like custom-upholstered furniture, much of what you're paying for when you have something framed is the customization. Someone who buys a secondhand frame (or couch) is making do, not getting exactly what they wanted made to order. The frames are not likely to be worth anything.
posted by jon1270 at 7:23 AM on August 30, 2013


You need an exacto knife and a pair of pliers.
Gently slice the paper on top of the frame and remove. There should be a series of tiny nails/tacks holding the backing board in place. Remove the nails and you should be able to then remove the diplomas etc.

My Mom owned an art gallery and did oodles of custom framing, and while yes, it is expensive, there is not much resale value, unless you just happen to hit the right person that desperately needs a frame your size. She buys fabulous frames at thrift shops all the time for a couple dollars now and, knows how much of a bargain it is. My niece is the current beneficiary of this - they regularly hang shows where the framing has cost 20-30 dollars total.

Maybe you could donate them to some young artist, or art program?
posted by PlantGoddess at 7:37 AM on August 30, 2013


Contact your institutions. I'm sure there are students who would like to pick up frames on the cheap. Of course this works best if you are still local. Otherwise I don't think you're going to get much resale value.
posted by emkelley at 7:44 AM on August 30, 2013


Or if you'd like some nice framed art, just print out some photos to fit the frames.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:55 AM on August 30, 2013


Agreed on donating them. Even though custom framing (and especially frames for diplomas) is usually expensive, the resell value on them is just not much of anything.
posted by joan_holloway at 9:39 AM on August 30, 2013


Best answer: There is a slim chance someone might want the frames if they are actual mahogany or very nice looking and not dated. Try Craigslist. I'm a framer and interior decorators bring in their own frames all the time that they bought at thrift stores, etc.

Your mats are likely trash. If they are older than five to ten years, they are likely not what we would now consider conservation grade. Toss them if you're trying to sell the frames or leave them in, it doesn't matter. The framer may also have glued the mats to each other and to the backing board, and it's very difficult to remove them without damaging them (safe for the art, though.)

You can probably deframe yourself. Once you take off the paper (cut around the edges of the frame, not across the back, or there's a chance you could slice the diploma) you'll see how hard it will be and if your framer took any shortcuts or not. Hold onto the mats until you figure out if they discolored the diploma or not (non-uv glass fades a document, but not on the parts the mats cover; acidic mats burn a line into paper over time) because you may want to use the mats to cover any damage.

When storing your documents, remember to keep them flat, in the dark, and in an acid-free enclosure. The Container Store or an office supply store can help you with that. If your diplomas are sheepskin/real vellum, watch our for humidity, it tends to wrinkle them up.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:54 AM on August 30, 2013 [2 favorites]


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