Old documents really take one back to the days when both truth and proof were substantiated on mere paper. When I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in 1981, my college had a 'placement file' service. As a bonus for graduates, they'd keep letters of recommendation, documents, and employment papers on file. Upon written request, they'd mail off officially stamped paperwork directly to an intended recipient. The entire department ceased operating a half dozen years later.
Compared to today's email and electronic documentation, it all seemed so quaint. I knew I would someday get to a point where I'd look back on things from my early career and take joy in fondly remember them. I am just a bit surprised that day has seemed to arrive so quickly! In bits and pieces over the last decade, I've put a small amount of information online. For example, prior to widespread use of Adobe Acrobat I once saved previous letters of recommendation in standard image format. Then later, I thought it'd be fun to scan some yellowing paper-based memories into standard PDF format. Doing this wasn't nearly as fun as I thought, and my collection is somewhat incomplete.
Just a few minutes ago though, I was able to find a box which has some of the originals. Luckily they didn't need to survive trial by flood or fire. As it is, they have weathered great distances and substantial time. Perhaps it's good that all things haven't ended up as computer files for there's nothing like the pungent smell of old paper.