handling your comics?

[super_brandon25]

Hey guys...just thought I'd ask the seasoned pros how they handle their comics when taking them out of their bags and boards to read?

Just this week I cringed when some dude came into my local comic shop and bought $80 worth of comics, and they got mistreated! The lady that worked there is part owner of the shop along with her son...and when she was looking for the prices she kept bending the comics somewhat carelessly. I was like "oh man that's just wrong."

I noticed that dude checking before hand for tears and all that...but I really felt bad from him when he stepped up to the counter. When she got to me...I started a conversation about comic preservation and kindly told her, "I don't like people to mishandle my comics." She was better with me, but still...Hopefully, she got the hint though. I hate it when people do that!

[Crowforge]

I try not to spill anything on them but that's about it. It's almost pointless to 'collect' comics since there are so many pristine copies out there they'll never be worth anything.

[KidCommando]

Yes but say ina few years from now. You decide to sell your moderns and they aren't worth more than a book because you creased them a lot. I keep mine in NM and I can sell them at about cover price years later.

[Cei-U!]

Other than my meagre stack of Golden Age DCs, none of my comics are either bagged or boarded. Due to my disability, which requires me to handle my books with my mouth, worrying about condition is a pretty pointless exercise. So I'm afraid I'm not very empathetic to the triple-bagged-NM crowd.

Cei-U!
I summon the beater books!

[Red Oak Kid]

Most of my comics are in a bag of some kind. The only comics that I have that are boarded are ones that were boarded when I bought them at a convention.

I also store my comics flat which may not be the approved method.

IMO, keeping your comics at room temp in nice dry environment, away from direct sunlight will protect them better than bagging and boarding them and then sticking them in a damp basement or hot attic.

[Sir Tim Drake]

A lot of my comics are boarded, but I did this more for aesthetic reasons than because I was worried about protecting them.

[The Confessor]

I bag all of my comics and board probably the vast majority of them, just to keep them in the same condition that they were in when I bought them. This isn't for any potential monetary value that they may have in the future; it's more because I want them to last so that I can read them over and over again for the rest of my life.

As for once they're out of the bag, I just make sure I have clean hands and obviously try not to spill any food or drink on them. Again, just to keep them in decent enough condition for me to enjoy in the future.

I do tend to get a bit of a "collector" mentality though sometimes and can fully appreciate how people can get really anal about their comics. I have a tendency to be like this, but I just remind myself that after all, I bought them to read and enjoy. Not to just squirrel away and never touch for fear of damaging them.

[dupont2005]

i recently bagged and boarded all my comics. some have gone without bags for over 20 years. i would say about half of my comics are in good condition and the other half are not. i like to keep my comics n good condition, but i do not worry about handling them special or anything. i would be pissed if the comic lady was screwing my comics up too just because as a comic retailer she should know better, but i wouldn't worry about my comics being nm

[Spid3y]

I don't really have anything of value, but had a friend who did. He has them bagged as well, and one of my cousins has em stored in a box sealed up. Not sure if he took any precautions though but at the worst they are probably just dusty.

[Shawn Hopkins]

My main caution in handling them is to be careful of tape pulls when opening comics bagged and boarded by others. I've accidentally defaced several comics, including a prized Silver Age issue of Rip Hunter, Time Master, by carelessly letting hanging tape get stuck to the cover. On the rare occasions I bag or board something myself I don't use tape at all. Most of my collection isn't bagged or boarded anyway, though.

Otherwise, it's just a comic book and I'm not going to treat it with any special caution, although I won't go out of my way to mutilate it by rolling it up or bending it.

[Drusilla lives!]

Seems comic collecting has really changed over the years... I remember back in the day when some (not me) bought two copies, one for collecting and one for reading. I'm assuming most who don't care enough to bag and board their comics are talking about "moderns." I'd hate to think we're talking about real "classics" not being treated to at least a bag and board... come on people, what's a couple of nickels. When they're gone they're gone.

[dan bailey]

I'll bag a comic if it's in danger of falling apart. That's it, really, regardless of age.

[dupont2005]

so i had a yard sale last weekend and now i have all kinds of extra space in the garage. i keep my comics in the computer room, which is more like a closet and its a pain in the ass to get to them. i got this long counter in the garage i thought would be cool to have my longboxes on them. i had my comics in storage for about a year, other than that they have always been in my bedroom. out here it gets REALLY hot and dry. would keeping my comics in the garage ruin them? i know keeping upholstery in the garage is a bad idea, but i feel like the comics should be fine

[Cei-U!]

I'm assuming most who don't care enough to bag and board their comics are talking about "moderns." I'd hate to think we're talking about real "classics" not being treated to at least a bag and board... come on people, what's a couple of nickels. When they're gone they're gone.

No, nothing in my collection published after the 1940s is in a bag (though my first and key issues have boards tucked in the centerfolds for a little extra strength). And it would require a lot more than "a couple of nickels" to bag my 3800+ collection. Even if I could afford it, I wouldn't buy 'em because, frankly, unbagging and rebagging comics whenever I want to read them is a colossal pain in the ass. As for "when they're gone, they're gone," I'm nearly 51. By the time they're gone, I figure I will be too. :wink:

Cei-U!
I summon the easy access!

[Drusilla lives!]

... As for "when they're gone, they're gone," I'm nearly 51. By the time they're gone, I figure I will be too...

You can always sell them to me before that... they'll go to a good home. :)

[super_brandon25]

I have approximately 300 comics and still going. Most of them are moderns though I do have some silver age Marvel and DC Comics.

When buying new releases, I bag and board them soon as I bring them home from the store. I don't necessarily tape them till after I read 'em though.

I just want 'em in top shape so they last all my life. But the collector in me don't want numerous hands messing with them. Just me!

[Bicorn Halfelven]

I dutifully bag and board each and every comic in my collection. I don't like having crappy things, and my comic books are no exception. I'm not a stickler for condition, but I'd like NM comics to stay that way, and so on... I will do everything in my power to prevent comics from reaching a worse state of condition.

I have been using Silver Age bags and boards on all of my Silver/Bronze/Modern comics, even though this gives the Bronze/Modern age stuff a little wiggle room. I figure since they're not getting jostled around, they'll be just fine. Any thoughts on this?

I also wash my hands before handling comics, to ensure I don't leave any finger oil on the pages, which can leave small, but noticeable marks. I always make sure to remove any tape from pre-bagged and boarded purchases prior to removing them from the bag for inspection/reading. The comics are stored in long boxes and in my home office/den, so they live a pretty comfortable life.






Good lord, I'm a freak.

[mgs]

out here it gets REALLY hot and dry. would keeping my comics in the garage ruin them?

older magazine print type comics might have a harder time in those conditions (and what is the garage like when it rains?) but all moderns should be okay, just as long as they're not in direct sunlight or anything or get eaten by insects and stuff.

me, I keep all comics I deem 'worthy' in acid free bags. yeah, I know they'll have no value. People are constantly amazed that I would go through the storage and keeping nice, something that won't be worth anything, but I like em and it annoys me to no end about mistreated things i care about. So, I try. but the ones that don't make the cut don't get bagged, but they go in boxes and stuff. i'm currently trying to get more bookcases to house all my books, good and bad.

Edit: oh yeah, I hate tears and stuff too and I generally wash my hands before handling my good comics.

[The Confessor]

I have been using Silver Age bags and boards on all of my Silver/Bronze/Modern comics, even though this gives the Bronze/Modern age stuff a little wiggle room. I figure since they're not getting jostled around, they'll be just fine. Any thoughts on this?


Well, not so much "a thought" as an agreement. I also bag and board some of my modern titles in Silver Age size bags but I haven't noticed that they have too much wiggle room. Like you, my comics all sit in long boxes and don't get jostled around. I can't say that housing newer comics in Silver Age size bags has caused my collection any problems personally. I mean, they're still being well protected in Silver Age bags, after all.

[Gilda Dent]

I dutifully bag and board each and every comic in my collection. I don't like having crappy things, and my comic books are no exception. I'm not a stickler for condition, but I'd like NM comics to stay that way, and so on... I will do everything in my power to prevent comics from reaching a worse state of condition.

I'm pretty much the same way. I'm not preserving to keep them valuable, I just like to take good care of anything I own.

I have been using Silver Age bags and boards on all of my Silver/Bronze/Modern comics, even though this gives the Bronze/Modern age stuff a little wiggle room. I figure since they're not getting jostled around, they'll be just fine. Any thoughts on this?

So long as the board matches the bag, you, and your comics, should be fine.

I also wash my hands before handling comics, to ensure I don't leave any finger oil on the pages, which can leave small, but noticeable marks. I always make sure to remove any tape from pre-bagged and boarded purchases prior to removing them from the bag for inspection/reading. The comics are stored in long boxes and in my home office/den, so they live a pretty comfortable life.

Washing your hands is just common sense.

I don't remove the tape, but I am very careful not to let the tape get on the comic as I remove it or put it back.

Resealable bags cost more, but help relieve this problem. I've used a mixture of standard and resealable.

Good lord, I'm a freak.

Eh, it's more than what most people do, but it's harmless unless it interferes with other areas of your life.

[dupont2005]

older magazine print type comics might have a harder time in those conditions (and what is the garage like when it rains?) but all moderns should be okay, just as long as they're not in direct sunlight or anything or get eaten by insects and stuff.

me, I keep all comics I deem 'worthy' in acid free bags. yeah, I know they'll have no value. People are constantly amazed that I would go through the storage and keeping nice, something that won't be worth anything, but I like em and it annoys me to no end about mistreated things i care about. So, I try. but the ones that don't make the cut don't get bagged, but they go in boxes and stuff. i'm currently trying to get more bookcases to house all my books, good and bad.

Edit: oh yeah, I hate tears and stuff too and I generally wash my hands before handling my good comics.it only rains out here like twice a year, the roof is good. thanks for the info

[super_brandon25]

Another question:

What causes comics or magazines, when taken out of the plastic bag, to wrinkle?

It was weird today when I bought Wizard magazine 207, took it out of the bag when I got home and the cover/pages started to wrinkle on its own! It's nothing horrible...but the magazine was perfect when I bought it. Maybe a temperture change?

The temperature in my home is moderate as well.

Do all comics or magazines do this?

[schwamp]

Washing your hands is just common sense.

I don't remove the tape, but I am very careful not to let the tape get on the comic as I remove it or put it back.

Resealable bags cost more, but help relieve this problem. I've used a mixture of standard and resealable.





I don't use tape anymore. When I bag and board, I fold the plastic flap over the backer and crease it with my fingernail. It keeps things closed as much as it would with tape, but there is no risk of sticking to the comic when it is removed.
Generally, I take pretty good care of all the books I have. Bagged, boarded and stored in file cabinets out of the light. When I buy, I even check the books in the racks to select the one in the best condition. This is a hobby that, like it or not, has an obsession with condition. Every book that is sold is done so with consideration for the quality of its appearance. It seems foolish not to start this process before you even buy it. I used to have a pull list at the LCS, and more than once, I was disappointed to see a flaw or crease when I first took it out. Whether you think you're preserving monetary value or just the visual appeal, it's worth it to take care. To me, there's nothing like taking out an old copy from the 60's or 70's that I bought brand new and looking at the color and gloss that was there the day I bought it. It's worth the little extra effort to keep things nice.

[Paradox]

**strains to not mock someone putting Wizard in a protective bag**

[Sir Tim Drake]

**strains to not mock someone putting Wizard in a protective bag**

I think it was already in the bag when he bought it.

[Paradox]

That only redirects the mockery, though. :evilsmile:

But, what do I know? I treat bags and boards like candy wrappers. :tongue:

[rick]

No bags, no boards, no boxes and worse yet they are all just randomly piled up on a few bookshelves.

What can I tell you, I'm old school.

[rick]

Good lord, I'm a freak.

With all due respect, yep. :tongue:

[Cei-U!]

No bags, no boards, no boxes and worse yet they are all just randomly piled up on a few bookshelves.

What can I tell you, I'm old school.

Old school? Buddy, you're Plato's academy!

Cei-U!
I summon the happy holiday!

[The Confessor]

No bags, no boards, no boxes and worse yet they are all just randomly piled up on a few bookshelves.

What can I tell you, I'm old school.


**Shudder**

There oughta be a law against people like you. :wink:

[super_brandon25]

**strains to not mock someone putting Wizard in a protective bag**

LOL...man Wizard comes with a sealed plastic bag around it. In which I don't have my collected Wizard magazines in bags and boards...I know people who do. Wizard 207 even has "collectors special" covers with a painting of a supposed new Justice League and a Iron Man 2 cover.

[Blue Blazes]

i bag and board my comics too. My g/fs old boss gave me some mid 80 JLA in bags, but no boards, bags probably from 80s too, all yellowish. So i put them all in new bags with boards and it gave them new life. they are all in VF condition and with the clear bags the color pops again. so i just want them to stay in as good condition as possible, so i dont mind spending teh little extra to preserve that.

[MDG]

I went through a period of bagging books as I bought them off the stands--usually two-to-a-bag, horrifying one of my collector friends. And at one point I put my ECs (a couple dozen) and Humbugs in new bags and boards.

I rarely by comics these days, and the only way it gets in a bag is if I buy it in one.

One thing that does get to me is when I see dealers with boxes of Golden age books in mylars with totally open tops. I'm always afraid I'll sneeze and do hundreds of dollars in damage.

Anyone else been collecting long enough to remember Robert Bell or Howard Rogofsky bags? Or buying back issues that were in supermarket produce bags?

[Red Oak Kid]

Anyone else been collecting long enough to remember Robert Bell or Howard Rogofsky bags? Or buying back issues that were in supermarket produce bags?

When I officially began buying comics as a "collector" I told my mom to save all her produce bags from the grocery store and I used them for comics. But I thought that was MY original idea.

What were Bell and Rogofsky bags like?

[InfoBroker]

When I officially began buying comics as a "collector" I told my mom to save all her produce bags from the grocery store and I used them for comics. But I thought that was MY original idea.

Circa 1968, I had several thousand Wonder Bread bags that my mom had gotten from salvage at Burlington truck lines where she worked. It was difficult using them because that had a one inch or so fold on the bottom. They were large enough to store magazines as well as comics. I tried to keep them flat by only putting two to three comics into each bag, but it was a massive nuisance to get at comics to read. After awhile, I gave up, and would store as many as twenty comics per bag, which would cause the bad to open out forming a roundish shape. Comics stayed flat, but it funny looking with the bottom folds poked out and spreading. It did make it easy to do a count of how many comics I had thought. Something I use to do about once a month or so during those early years of collecting. When it became five figures and took a couple of hours or more to do, I lost interest.

What were Bell and Rogofsky bags like?

Again circa 1968, Robert Bell (who was the first to have a plastic bag manufacture construct bags to comic book size specifications for re-selling), would include a sample bag when you ordered his pricelist and Marvel Comics checklist. The samples had printing over the entire bag, advertising his business. Very disturbing and annoying. Couldn't appreciate the covers. Later, he only printed on the two inch tabs, and with continued pressure from fans (and competition), the printing on the bags went away completely.

Also early on, one size fit all, golden or silver. I never ordered any, at $3.50/hundred they were too expensive for my junior high income. Even when I had a paper route. I would rather spend the money on more comics, not crazy accessories. So I only had a few Robert Bells covering very special comics in my collections.

The bags came with a light fog that deepened over time. They were not chemically stable, and over time they reacted with the comical books. Lots of extra yellowing in the covers of DD#4, Amazing Spidey #19, #41, and Fantastic Four Annual #2.

Comics that were never bagged like FF#73 or Doctor Strange #180 never suffered this archival abuse.

I wonder how much plastic particles and the gases they emit over the years have accumulated in my body?

-jb the "ppm's are probably greater than my MMMS numbers" ib -

[DeadLast Johnny]

The lady that worked there is part owner of the shop along with her son...and when she was looking for the prices she kept bending the comics somewhat carelessly. I was like "oh man that's just wrong."




Well, i definitely know we don't have the same LCS. The two owners of the store I go to handle everything extremely careful. Once, she had stated that handling them like 'little babies' is just the service they are supposed to provide. Very classy.


As for me, I pretty much bag/board everything. I just like the completeness of it all. Except for a couple of long boxes that just have random issues I bought on eBay. I'm also always very nervous when my girlfriend or cat get near them. lol


DLJ

[i*love*comics*247]

Back in the early 70's, I would go down to the local newspaper and get several hundred of the bags which the route people put the Sunday editions in. They let me have them. The flaps were long and the bags were big enough to put a years worth of comics in one bag (laid back-to-back over and over again).

I then went to the local poultry plant and got several chicken boxes to hold my bagged comics. I had to clean and scrub those old boxes and dry them out throughly. Then paint on the top of the boxes the characters in each box.

Now, each comic I have gets a new bag and board and are put in short boxes. I have roughly around 100 short boxes of comics in my closets and bedroom. Everything is entered on the computer as I receive them so I know what I got.

Only problem I got now of days is when I get ready to put comics in boxes and find that a box is about full. Then I have to figure what I'm going to do with the overflow. A totally new box or move them into some other box which has other comics in it. This is where I will sometimes "miss place" a comic. Glad I have them listed on my computer

[Paradox]

i*love*comics*247 brings back a fond memory:

I then went to the local poultry plant and got several chicken boxes to hold my bagged comics. I had to clean and scrub those old boxes and dry them out throughly. Then paint on the top of the boxes the characters in each box.

I used to have those, too. Great stuff! Sturdy, and waxed for moisture resistance.