A signed puck, a ticket and a photograph from the same game belong in one frame. We build a shadow box around the group, with a separate mount for each item and UV glazing over the signatures.
A signed puck, a game ball, a pair of tickets, a programme, a team photograph, a tournament medal: we mount groups like these together in one shadow box, a frame built deep enough to hold objects. The difficulty with sports items is that they come in every shape. Some are round, some are flat, some are thick booklets, and most carry a signature in marker ink. Each item needs its own way of being held, and the signatures need protection from light.
Each item gets its own mount
Pucks. A puck sits in a well, a round opening cut to its size in a raised board, with the signed face toward the front.
Balls. A ball rests in a cradle shaped to its curve and fixed to the back board. You choose which panel faces forward before the cradle is made, because the back of the ball is hidden once it is mounted.
Tickets and photographs. Flat paper goes in its own opening in an acid-free mat, a border of card made so it does not stain paper. Each sheet is hinged, which means it is held by small paper tabs at the top edge.
Programmes. A programme is a booklet with many pages, so its opening is cut deeper than the opening for a single ticket.
Medals. A medal is held by its ribbon, as described on our medal framing page.
No glue, tape or pin goes on any item. Every mount can be undone, and each item lifts out when the frame is opened. A signed jersey is a larger job with its own method, covered on our jersey framing page.
Signatures fade first
Marker ink is the part of a signed item most easily changed by light. Glazing means the sheet of glass or acrylic at the front of the box. We fit UV glazing, which filters out ultraviolet light, the part of daylight that does the most fading. Our guide to UV glass and glazing explains the types. A box hung away from direct sun keeps its signatures longer than one hung opposite a window, whatever the glazing.
Planning the layout
We lay everything out on the counter with you and move the items around until the group looks balanced. The deepest item sets the depth of the whole box. A puck needs a shallower box than a ball, and a ball needs the deepest box we build for sports items. When one ball is grouped with flat paper only, two frames can look better than one deep box, and we tell you so when we see the group.
Bring everything you are considering, including the items you are unsure about. Taking an item out of a layout on the counter is easy. Adding one after the box is built means rebuilding the inside.
Depth decides the frame for a painting on canvas too, because the frame has to be as deep as the wooden bars behind the cloth. Encounter is an acrylic on canvas, 70 by 50 cm, showing beekeepers in pale suits standing in a dark wood.
If a signed item came with a certificate or a sticker from the seller, keep it. Tell us whether you want the paper shown in the box or kept in your own files. Stickers stay on the item as they are.
What changes the cost
The number of items is the largest factor, because each well, cradle and opening is cut by hand for that item. After that come the depth of the box, its outer size, and the glazing. On a large, deep box we often use acrylic, which is lighter than glass and does not shatter. We quote at the counter once the layout is agreed.
Outer size raises the cost of any frame, a painting's as much as a shadow box. Matrix, an oil on canvas of a figure in a blue robe floating among clouds inside gold rings, measures 70 by 100 cm and is one of the originals in our gallery.
MatrixOne-of-a-kind original$1,988.00Free insured shipping. 14-day returns.See this original
What to bring or send
Bring the items as they are. Do not clean a signed surface, because wiping can lift the ink. If you live outside Vancouver, send a photograph of the group laid out and the size of each item, with the thickness of anything that is not flat. Our shadow box framing page explains how the box itself is built.
Walk in at 1242 Davie Street with the collection. Enter your email on this page for a 10% framing code to show at the shop, and see custom framing for everything else we frame.
How it works
1
Bring it in, or send photographs
Walk in to 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. If you are not in Vancouver, send the dimensions and a photograph and we will work from that.
2
We look at the actual piece
What it is made of, what condition it is in, and where it is going to hang all change the answer. You get a straight recommendation and a price for your piece, not a rate card.
3
It is made by hand and fitted
Cut to the piece, using conservation materials, and finished with hanging hardware rated for the actual weight.
Common questions
Can a signed hockey puck be framed without glue?
Yes, a signed hockey puck is framed with no glue on it. The puck sits in a well, which is a round opening cut to its size in a raised board, with the signed face toward the front. The fit of the well and a support behind the puck hold it in place. The puck lifts out again when the frame is opened.
How is a signed ball held inside a frame?
A signed ball is held inside a frame by a cradle shaped to its curve, fixed to the back board of a deep shadow box. Before the cradle is made, you choose which panel of the ball faces the front, because the back of the ball is hidden once it is mounted. No glue and no pin touches the ball.
Will an autograph on a puck or ball fade inside a frame?
An autograph on a puck or ball fades more slowly inside a frame with UV glazing, which filters out the ultraviolet part of light. Marker ink still reacts to strong light over time, so hang the box away from direct sun and bright lamps. We cannot promise that a signature will never change, and no honest framer can.
Can tickets and a signed photograph go in the same frame as a puck?
Yes, tickets and a signed photograph can go in the same shadow box as a puck. The paper items sit in their own openings in an acid-free mat, hinged at the top edge, and the puck sits in a well beside them. The box is built to the depth of the puck, which is the deepest item in that group.
How deep does a frame need to be for a ball?
A frame for a ball needs to be as deep as the ball in its cradle, plus clearance so the glazing stays off it. That makes it the deepest type of box we build for sports items. If the other items in the group are flat paper, two frames can look better than one deep box, and we tell you so when we see the group.
Should I clean a signed puck or ball before framing it?
Leave a signed puck or ball as it is before framing. Wiping or washing can lift marker ink and remove marks from the game that are part of the history of the item. We mount items in the condition you bring them. On the way to the shop, hold the item by its unsigned parts.
Can I add another item to a memorabilia box later?
Adding an item to a memorabilia box later means rebuilding the inside, because the mat, the wells and the depth are cut for the first layout. If you expect to add something, such as a ticket from next season, tell us at the start. We can plan an empty opening for it, or design a pair of frames so the second one holds the later items.
10% off your custom framing when you show this code at our shop
We frame, stretch canvas and reframe by hand, in our own workshop inside the gallery at
1242 Davie Street. Enter your email and your code appears right here. Show it at the
counter and we take 10% off the job. The code does not expire.
Send the measurements, what it is made of, and a photograph. We will tell you what it actually needs, including when the answer is that it needs less than you expected.
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Exceptional Service and a Truly Memorable Art Purchase
I had a wonderful experience with Van Art Hub Gallery. I came across two pieces by Melina Ghaemi — *Mad Mirrors* and *Small World in the Hands of a Stranger* — and immediately fell in love with them.
I contacted Van Art Hub Gallery, and they were incredibly helpful throughout the entire process, from arranging the payment to organizing the shipping. At first, I was a little skeptical and nervous about how everything would work, especially since the paintings were still in Iran and it was shortly after the war. But the gallery handled everything with such professionalism and care that my concerns quickly disappeared. Amazingly, they were able to get the paintings to Canada in just two days!
The pieces are absolutely captivating. Even when I picked them up from the frame maker and was simply carrying them to my car, several people stopped and asked me about the paintings. That says a lot about how striking and special Melina Ghaemi’s work is.
A big thank you to Van Art Hub Gallery for making this experience so smooth and enjoyable. I truly appreciated their professionalism, communication, honesty, and integrity throughout the entire process. I would happily work with them again and highly recommend them to anyone interested in purchasing art through the gallery.
I got my order today and your work is really good. I didn’t expect to get a certificate for this painting, it was a surprise. Thanks for caring about small details.
The support team was really helpful and followed up nicely, wich I really appreciated. The painting is just like the photo – great quality and very detalied. I just wish it arrived a bit sooner, but honestly it was worth the wait.
I received my painting today. The support team was great and very responsive. The artwork is exactly what I was hoping for – even more beautifull in person. Truly a valuable piece. I’ll definetely order again. Thank you!
