You don’t need superhuman strength or x-ray vision to appreciate comics and yearn to collect and preserve the graphic stories of childhood and beyond. but there are a few simple steps every fan should take to store a comic book collection, to ensure it retains its value and can be enjoyed by the next generation.
Whether you’ve been obsessed with all things wonder woman for years or have more recently been inspired by the movies to start collecting iron man, our tips from comic shop owners will help you preserve your comics. active. after all, some comics sell for thousands or even millions of dollars. Our experts share products and practices they’ve used to keep their comics looking pristine.
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“With comic books, you want to make sure they’re packaged and in cardboard,” said Michael Freedman, owner of Comic Smash. Bags that protect comics come in different types of clear plastic, including polyethylene, polypropylene, and mylar. the type you choose may depend on your preferences and how much you are willing to spend. “I keep all my books in polypropylene, but some people rely on mylar. however, my experience with mylar is that it starts to yellow and needs to be replaced every five years or so,” said michael.
comic storage types
comic bags
bag sizes depend on the year your comic was published:
current – 1980 to today, size 6 7/8″ x 10 1/2″
silver age – 1950 to 1980, size 7 1/8″ x 10 1/2″
golden age – pre 1950, size 7 3/4″ x 10 1/2″
again this can also be a matter of preference but michael says he uses silver age for all his books with the exception of golden age which requires a larger format but some collectors like it the tightest fit of the current size, so they will buy specific bag sizes.
cat jercan, owner of dj’s universal comics, believes too much thought is given to different types of plastics and sizes. “Don’t spend a lot of money on it. damage only occurs if the books are exposed to light and air. if you put them in bags and whatever bags you want and put them in a box, they’ll be fine.”
comic boards
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Cardboard “boards” are used as backing in bags to keep comics wrinkle-free. look for acid-free so as not to damage the pages of your comics. If you buy a comic that’s already bagged with a board, consider asking the dealer if they use acid-free boards. “The store owner may have gone with a cheaper board to save money and there’s nothing on the board to tell you if it’s acid-free,” said Michael, who advised him to ask to see the packaging the boards came in. boards or get the brand name of the board.
hard cases for comics
For special comics, many collectors opt for hard plastic mounts. It costs a little more than a bag and board, but it prevents the book from getting damaged or wrinkled if dropped and it prevents the pages from curling. it can also be supported to display it as a picture frame.
classification and cutting of comics
If you have old, rare comics or plan to sell them, it may be worth spending a few bucks to have them graded through a company called a Certified Assurance Company (CGC). “The rating sets the value,” Michael said. then they seal the book in a hard plastic box called a ‘slab’ and put a hologram sticker and barcode on it.” if that tag is torn or the case is opened, the rating is invalidated.
“I tell people to spend the money to do this, especially if they plan to try to sell the book on eBay,” says Michael. “I’ve heard a lot of horror stories of sellers shipping original vintage books off to be sold, then the buyer says they don’t want it and sends back a cheap reprint and there’s no way to prove that they took the original – unless you had it graded. And don’t forget to buy insurance on the shipping!”
comic book storage boxes
Most collectors store their comics in collector’s cardboard boxes that come in two sizes: long and short. These boxes are made so that the comics can be placed upright. If you’re willing to spend the extra money, there are also soft plastic boxes, which are more durable and which the cat credits with saving much of his inventory when a plumbing problem caused his store to flood.
when storing boxes, michael warns not to stack them too high. “The weight will start to break the boxes at the bottom and your comics could get crushed. I usually don’t upload more than five boxes.”
Control the Storage Environment
As with most collectibles, the environment in which you store them is important. Bagging your comic can go a long way to keep out moisture and paper-loving pests like silverfish and bookworms. But is temperature important? We found conflicting opinions:
“paper expands and contracts with heat and cold,” said michael. “so you don’t want to store them anywhere where there are extreme temperatures, like in your garage if you live somewhere like chicago.”
On the contrary, the cat did not believe that temperature control was important. “I had my collection in a storage space in a city that got as hot as an oven. all of them were bagged and boarded and in a storage box. I never took them out and after being stored like that for 10 years, they were fine.”
do not store comics
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michael also had a ban list that he has compiled over the years.
don’t stack them. the pressure from the top books will damage the ones at the bottom of the stack. bag them up and place them on a board, and place them upright in a storage box or file cabinet.
don’t store cardboard boxes on the floor of your garage or basement. put the boxes on milk crates or wooden pallets because a flood or water leak will destroy your books, even if they are bagged.
don’t leave all your comics out in the yard, not even at night while you’re cleaning out the basement or whatever. that will be the night it rains.
don’t leave your comics near dogs or children.
do not eat or drink while reading your collectible comics.
don’t smoke around books that are out of their bags. will yellow the pages.
don’t roll them up and put them in your back pocket like kids did in the 50’s. it will wrinkle the pages.
While collecting comics can be an exciting hobby, Michael cautions that it’s rare that you can make a lot of money collecting and selling current comics. Caring for your comics is mostly about keeping your beloved favorites in good condition so you can enjoy them and perhaps pass them on to the kids in the family. but for those who get their hands on old vintage books or those with characters making a movie about them, their value can increase significantly.
so it’s worth keeping your collection in good shape with a little knowledge and a few supplies. And don’t forget, you can add to your collection every year on Free Comic Book Day! look for it at participating comic book stores this year on Saturday, May 2.
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