Perky boxes and thumbnails
Updated
The small clear-lidded box on a cushion that most thumbnail collections live in.
The standard thumbnail housing
A clear rigid box with a hinged or lift-off lid, a foam or fiber cushion inside, and the specimen pressed gently into the cushion so it holds position and faces the viewer.
They stack, they display without being opened, and they are the reason thumbnail collecting scales: a few hundred specimens fit in a drawer and every one is visible.
How they work
The cushion does the work. It holds the specimen at an angle, absorbs shock and stops movement.
Mounting putty is the usual addition for anything that will not sit: a small amount, on the base, reversible.
The label goes under the cushion or on the outside, depending on the box. Under the cushion keeps the display clean and means the specimen has to come out to read it, which is a trade.
What to watch
The plastic. Clear, glossy and flexible has historically meant PVC. Ask.
The cushion. Foams degrade, and a degrading foam in a closed box is an off-gassing source pressed against the specimen. Inert fiber or polyethylene foam rather than whatever came in the box.
The putty. Some mounting putties stain porous specimens and some are hard to remove after years.
Static, which on a plastic lid pulls dust straight onto the specimen.
Buying them
One size, one supplier, in quantity. Mixed boxes do not stack and waste drawer space.
Buy spare cushions, which degrade faster than the boxes.
And buy a few more than you need, because a collection expands into whatever housing it has and running out mid-rehousing is how specimens end up in a bag.