An inherited set can be both a playable object and a family record. Your first task is not restoration. It is to slow down, document what arrived, and avoid irreversible decisions.
The first-day sequence
- Photograph the closed container and every layer as opened.
- Save labels, slips, score cards, rule books, and notes with the set.
- Count pieces over a padded, clean surface.
- Record obvious cracks, loose laminations, residue, odor, or stickiness.
- Pause before cleaning until you understand the likely materials and condition.
Cleaning is not automatically care
The Canadian Conservation Institute recommends avoiding unnecessary cleaning of plastics and starting with gentle dry methods when cleaning is necessary. It specifically warns against oils, bleaches, waxes, and vinyl or rubber erasers. If simple techniques are unsuccessful, consult a conservator rather than escalating to stronger products.
For a mixed-material mahjong set, a product safe for a wood case may be unsafe for a plastic, painted, or bone component. Test plans should be material-specific and conservative.
Isolate warning signs
If a plastic component is sticky, oozing, crumbling, powdering, severely warped, or giving off an acidic odor, minimize handling and separate it from unaffected objects. Do not seal a strongly deteriorating object into an improvised airtight package without professional guidance; storage recommendations depend on the material and condition.
Store the story with the set
Place loose papers in suitable archival sleeves or folders, maintain their original order, and record which tray or compartment held them. Keep a digital folder with overall photographs, detail images, dimensions, counts, and family recollections—including who owned it and where they played.
When to call a professional
Seek an objects conservator when pieces are friable, actively deteriorating, structurally unstable, unusually valuable, or require material analysis. A formal monetary appraisal is a separate service; conservation and valuation answer different questions.