Contents of time capsule

We've been sucked in again.  A nearby church dug up their time
capsule for their centennial celebration.  Once they peeked inside,
they were afraid to do anything with it, so they called us (Rural
area, no extra money, no real experts, waited till the last minute
syndrome). The contents (of which they have a list) are mostly caked
together in one big blob, though some coins and pins and three paper
items are ok. We made photocopies of those three things.

They want to place these items into their new time capsule, along
with some new items.  They want our "expert" advice.

The globs are definitely beyond my expertise.  To me they look
unsalvagable. I would tell them just to photograph those portions
(in black and white), place the photos and the old list in the new
capsule, and pitch the remains (or store them away, but not in a
time capsule).  If they insist on putting it all back, how should
they separate it from the new stuff?

And what about the things that are "ok?"  Should they go in with new
things?  What is acceptable for keeping them separate from the new?
Thanks for any advice and direction you can give,

Annie Armour
duPont Library
Sewanee, TN

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:46
               Distributed: Wednesday, November 19, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-11-46-014
                                  ***