Comic Collecting Tips

[Just Jeans]

Okay, so I've recently decided to try to find something more practical to hold my slowly growing comic book collection that isn't a Styrofoam ice chest. It's been doing an okay job, but soon it's going to be out of room.

I think the ideal storage method, for me, would be putting the books in a binder. The plastic sleeves they're currently in aren't suitable for a binder -- there's no holes in them, for one thing -- so I started doing some digging, and I came across Bags Unlimited (http://www.bagsunlimited.com/). The site claims to be the number 1 supply source for collectors. Has anyone here done business with them?

So here's what I'm looking at: Binder Pages (http://www.bagsunlimited.com/cart/detail.asp?cat=3&subcat=380&product_id=acompp).

I'm pretty sure these pages will hold some of my books -- single issues of Ranma 1/2, Marvel printed issues of Doctor Who, single issues of Buffy: Season 8, and probably each issue of The Dark Tower -- but where I get fuzzy is in regards to Trade Paper Backs. I own Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood, Nightwing/Huntress, Birds of Prey Vol 1 - 3, The Death of Superman and Superman: Eradication.

Will Binder Pages hold the slimmer TPBs, or am I out of luck in that department?

[Geddy Peart]

I've bought from bags unlimited several times in the past, they're reliable.

[Darth Sinister]

Hmmmm...I don't know about TPB's since I never put them in bags or binders. The slimmer trades and one shots can fit. I've put "Superman: The Earth Stealers", "Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey", "Superman: The Doomsday Wars", "Batman: Two Face-Crime & Punishment", "Batman: The Riddler-The Riddle Factory", "Batman Vs Judd Dredd: The Ultimate Riddle" and "Batman: Ghosts" in bags. Those are known as deluxe format issues which are thinner than a normal trade. It depends on how thin we're talking here. More often than not, a TPB is meant to sit on a bookshelf or can stand alone in a box without a bag and board.

[Just Jeans]

I have to put them in bags or leave them in sealed boxes, due to the amount of dust that's always in my room. Of course I try to dust things from time to time, but it's impossible to keep up with it. If I leave a book sitting on the shelf for more than a day without dusting it, it winds up covered. That's the main reason I want to put them in a Binder Pages.

[Darth Sinister]

Well I cannot say for certain about the binders and TPB's. But individual polybags (http://www.bagsunlimited.com/cart/browse.asp?subcat=91) could work. Go with the treasury size edition.

[Shoesalesman]

I have my Incredible Hulks (first volumes) in bags with boards. I'm trying to get the long-boxes that you'd see in the comic book shops for storage, but for now they're standing upright in several smaller boxes.

[sickboy]

My local store stocks the long and short boxes which are what I use for my comics. Every one is bagged and boarded, which is becoming a bit of a chore considering the number I buy :side:

http://www.bcwsupplies.com/cat-Comic+Boxes.htm sells the boxes, long and short.

Silver Age size bags will hold the vast majority of modern trades (excluding anything ridiculously thick).


Having just looked at those binder pages they look awfully expensive in comparisson to the boxes if you have a large collection.

[Darth Sinister]

My local store stocks the long and short boxes which are what I use for my comics. Every one is bagged and boarded, which is becoming a bit of a chore considering the number I buy :side:

I dunno. I've had fun organizing my comics a few years back. Though having seven boxes worth can be a bit of a hassle, if you're me. The only problem I've ever had was when the Batman and Spider-Man books both had ongoing subplots that were running concurrently, which makes it difficult to organize without putting in a note reminding me which to read first. They did that twice in the 90's and it was a bitch. Otherwise, organizing was pretty easy. Painstaking.

http://www.bcwsupplies.com/cat-Comic+Boxes.htm sells the boxes, long and short.

Silver Age size bags will hold the vast majority of modern trades (excluding anything ridiculously thick).


Having just looked at those binder pages they look awfully expensive in comparisson to the boxes if you have a large collection.

For me, yeah. For Jeans, not so much from what I understand. But good to know that Silver Age size will work for trades. Most of mine are that big, save for maybe the first volume of DC Vs Marvel: Classic's Collection.

[Freddy-Fan]

$14.60 for 50 binder pages is pretty expensive.

I use regular binder pages (http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=122975) from Sam's Club (200 count for $17.76) to store my Rue Morgue magazines. You could do the same with comics, only use a magazine backing board instead of a comic backing board.

[driftingsun]

I currently store my comics in bags (just poly, no mylar or anything fancy), in two large plastic bins that I bought from Target. The problem with the bins is that the sides slope outward ever so slightly (and they are too wide for two rows, too narrow for three), leading to rows that are saggy and shifty. I have looked at proper size boxes, but a lot of them seem to be cardboard; I'd like something more permanent-looking. I am thinking about buying (or constructing) a nice custom-made chest out of wood, does anybody else think that would be overkill for a comic collection (and one that I am not trying to preserve in museum pristineness, but rather for reading enjoyment for the coming decades)?

[Darth Sinister]

Your average cardboard box is not good for long term storage. Believe me, I know. The comic book boxes are sturdy cardboard and your best bet for storage. Plastic tubs, which I used initially, do work but become too heavy to move. I have three 35 gallon tubs, but when it came to moving them, it was fucking heavy. Like picking up a heavy person. When I had to move back in 1997, I switched to apple boxes and filled it with the lining used to sit the apples on, as a means keeping the comics from sliding too much.

[Monkey]

I have my Incredible Hulks (first volumes) in bags with boards. I'm trying to get the long-boxes that you'd see in the comic book shops for storage, but for now they're standing upright in several smaller boxes.
That's a tried and true method. I collected comic books from '89-'91, and have a little over a 1,000. Since then, I have moved SEVERAL times (about a dozen), and they're still in great condition.

Use long boxes if you can for storage. Even better, they are now selling longbox containers that allow you to pull the 'boxes' out like trays, as you would a file cabinet.

Darth, has the weight in the bins cause stress creases/cracks along the binders of your books (the ones on the bottom of the bins)? Please let me know.

If you're searching for a particular comic or series, I'd try E-Bay. I purchased the first 50 Spectacular Spider-man comic books for about 50 bucks a few years ago, and they're worth at least 5-6 times that. Then again, it depends on what you're looking for. I've found that you can buy comics well below their 'price-guide' value at auctions, and they're even in great (VF-NM) condition.

I don't recommend getting a subscription. I know you can get a great deal (save money) by getting one, but the comics hardly ever arrive in good condition. If you're a serious collector who wants to keep his/her comics in great condition, just go to your local comics store. Yes, they charge cover price + tax, but these stores tend to have multiple copies of the same one (select the ones in best condition), and they always sell them pre-bagged.

I heard that you should re-purchase all of your bags, boards, and boxes every so often. This is supposedly because the protective materials start to deteriorate and the chemicals released during deterioration can cause damage to the books themselves. However, I haven't had that problem.

When storing your collection, keep your comics in a cool, dry place. I recommend a closet. Try to avoid storing your collection in the garage, as even if your books are bagged, boarded, and boxed, they are still exposed to temperature fluctuations and humidity (the elements).

That's all I can really think of...

ADDED: If anybody knows how you can display a magazine as a picture, please let me know. I have a copy of NEXT Generation that features the original Halo on the cover. Always wanted to put that on the wall for some reason...

[Darth Sinister]

That's a tried and true method. I collected comic books from '89-'91, and have a little over a 1,000. Since then, I have moved SEVERAL times (about a dozen), and they're still in great condition.

Use long boxes if you can for storage. Even better, they are now selling longbox containers that allow you to pull the 'boxes' out like trays, as you would a file cabinet.

Darth, has the weight in the bins cause stress creases/cracks along the binders of your books (the ones on the bottom of the bins)? Please let me know.

Some stress, but that's only because I'm using inferior boxes over the proper, high quality ones. Like the long boxes from comic stores. Usually it's the boxes that go to hell. I don't worry so much about the condition of my comics. I'm never going to sell the damn things. But that doesn't mean I won't take care of them. When I used the tubs, there was nothing wrong with stress. The main thing aside from weight was that unless the comics were in a bag and a lot of mine aren't, the sides tend to bend and fold in a 35 gallon tub. It's been a real hassle for me up until a few years ago. This is the longest I've been in one place since I was in high school. So I don't have to worry about moving for a while, but I know I'll have to get new boxes before I do move again.

[Freddy-Fan]

I just registered at MyComicPile (http://www.mycomicpile.com/index.php?logout=y), which is a free "online comic tracking system that allows you to manage and maintain your comic collection. You can check out comic prices and sell your comics. . .know at a glance the number of comics you own, and their current 'worth'."

Seems like a good free service, but, for me, the problem is knowing how to grade comics (i.e., from near mint to poor). MyComicPile allows you to enter all the different grades for your comics in order to give you a fairly accurate price. . .but there are so many different grades that it makes it very difficult to know where your comic might fall on the grading scale. I have some old (70's) Marvel comics, but in my opinion they are in very bad condition, and I'm not sure what my subjective opinion of "very bad" would equate to on the comic grading scale.

[Darth Sinister]

1. Do they still have the covers?

2. Are there any folds, dog ears, tears and noticable cracks?

3. Are the covers hanging on by a thread?

[Freddy-Fan]

1. Do they still have the covers?

2. Are there any folds, dog ears, tears and noticable cracks?

3. Are the covers hanging on by a thread?

At the very least, there are tears and noticable cracks on most of them.

[Darth Sinister]

I'd say that they would be between poor and near good condition. But I'd have to see to say for certain.