20
Feb
Did You Know Collecting tip: How to store your new found treasures. Part 1
This week’s newsletter is coming to you from the Line-Art Cave Couch.
We’ve upgraded the cave to include more comfortable seating to share the many titles awaiting new homes.
This week’s topic is how to keep you and your treasures happy for years to come.
So you’ve come to the conclusion that the art of comics is the best form of story telling you’ve ever seen. Not only are the stories captivating but the sequential art is just the right combinationyou’ve been looking for. You don’t need to plug in and you can enjoy the book over and over again with no additional cost. Even watching television show only gets you fired up when the story meets your expectations from reading the book. Fun fact – most of what we watch on TV comes from comic books!
As you follow the titles you’ve chosen, some horror, adventure, comedy and some super hero/action, you’ve decided to keep thosebooks and preserve them for, if nothing else, the wonderful art they contain. And let me tell you – they’re amazing.
Now to your choice of how to keep them as nice as you can.
You’ve made sure you picked the book on the rack in the best condition, read it and now you want to collect it.
What’s the best way to do that?
Here are a few dos and don’ts:
DON’Ts:
1) Do not stack them in a box and leave them in your closet. First, your closet is the least controlled place in your house next to a raw basement. It’s even worse if the books are laying on top of each other, which isn’t good for that poor book on the bottom. As the books settle they will naturally move away from the thickest part, the spine, and “roll” towards the open end, the thinest. It’s just like sliding down a hill. What happens is called “spine roll”. It isn’t pretty, and you’ve just about set the value of that book to zero. Would you want to pay for that book?
2) Do not stick them in zip lock bags. The thought of putting the book in a sealed holder sounds good, but what’s that bag made of? Is it inert or will it react with the paper in the book? The wrong chemistry in the bag can actually speed up the deterioration of the paper in a book. Also, with the book flopping loose in the bag, you can add all kinds of damage that is irreversible (such as spine ticks, bent corners and spine roll).
One of the results of stacking is spine roll. This is what happens at the cut side of the book. The picture in the right column shows what it looks like from the front of the book.
DOs:
1) Place them in a correct sized bag for comics. It should be snug fitting, not too tight. The bag will go a long way in keeping the book stable. But what about the book still being loose and bendable?
2) Make sure you add a backing board to keep the book stiff. Using the correct sized backing board will not only keep the book from bending, but it will also protect the edges from folding. This will help the book remain flat and square.
3) Store your books in boxes. There are boxes used today that are designed for comics, and are meant to allow the book to stand. The benefits here are: a) the book can be accessed at any time to be viewed, read and appreciated, and b) there won’t be anything laying on top of it. All the weight will be carried by the backing board, so the spine/edges can effectively be suspended in the bag.
The additional benefit of “boxing” these with a full collection will actually help flatten the book to maintain a flat condition with no bends or wrinkles and suspend it.
What bags and boards do you choose?
Here are some tips to help you choose the right bags, boards and boxes for your books.
All of the products listed here work great, and your choices are based on affordability as well as chosen longevity of storage.
Here are some basics you need to know. Comic books are made out of paper. Paper has acidic properties. Acid eventually will eat away at the moisture content of the paper, leaving a brittle and crumbling condition to the paper.
The idea of what to choose is based on stabilizing the natural deterioration of paper.
I’m not talking short term, I’m talking decades. So your choice for storage is to slow that process down.
What should I store my books in?
Lets start with bag choices.
Comic bags are primarily made of three plastic-like materials.
1) Polyethylene (LDPE or HDPE)
2) Polypropylene (PP)
3) Mylar (BoPET)
1) Polyethylene: More stable than polypropylene but not as clear (tends to appear cloudy).
It’s the middle of the road as far as cost is concerned as well as protective properties.
2) Polypropylene: Although clearer than polyethylene, has a shorter life span and must be changed out more frequently. It also reacts with UV and acid. They’re great for short term and are the cheapest.
Neither of these are recommended for long-term storage and should be changed out every few years (if not sooner based on the age of the book and condition at time of bagging).
3 Mylar: This choice is considered inert with no trend to acid or base and is not affected by UV or acidic materials. This is considered archival and is the most expensive. This one is very clear and will actually enhance the look of your books (It’s actually made from polyethylene. The process stabilizes the polymers structure and changes its properties.).
Now for that backing board.
It is important, for long term storage, to choose a board that has been pushed to a ph of 7 (neutral).
Once again, the mere process of making paper involves introducing acid into the wood pulp in order to create it in the first place. Choosing a board that is as close to neutral as possible will help. Remember, the board is there to keep it flat and straight, as well as protecting the edges and spine.
What makes the board as close to neutral is the introduction of an alkaline buffer throughout (this buffer is typically calcium carbonate, CaCO3). Unfortunately, most manufacturers only infuse/coat one side of the board. For some reason a debate exists as to which side to place against the book, coated or uncoated. The decision is obvious, It’s the shiny side, where the coating has been applied.
Why not both sides? Some manufactures do coat both sides, but like everything else, it’s all about affordability vs value.
To help you choose the best board, I’ve included a link to the collector society’s site on the subject.
So there you have it! Next time, we can talk about archival sheets, slabbing, and sealing books in cases!
Until next week,
Line-Art Comics Staff
