I read an advertisement in the classifieds this morning selling their collection of comic books. 1200+ issues for $600. All of the comic books have bags and boards. When I began to collect, I saw some comic books in the stores already had bags and boards. I think I first began buying them because they looked cool and professional, as I began to build my collection.
Of course, I immediately saw the benefit of protecting the comic books with something. But, the challenge was the best way to put the comic books inside the bags, along with the boards.
After a couple of years of watching other comic book collections and some trial and error on my own part, I have decided on a way to bag and board comic books.
First, I bag my comic books immediately when I return home. This may sound simplistic, but, I have found, the more the books wait the longer these books will be vulnerable to wrinkles and tears. (Not to mention the spilled Diet Coke.) Another important danger to avoid is let the comic books pile up on your desk as you wait to find time to put them in bags. The sooner they are put in a bag, the sooner the comic books will be place in the safety of a short box.
Second, buy high quality bags and boards. In my collection of comic books, I have been given many different variations of both bags and boards. Some of the boards have been simple cardboard cut to fit the size of a comic book, and some of the bags are nothing more that “sheet protectors” to fit in a notebook. Both do the job cheaply but the presentation isn’t much.
Take the time and invest in good quality materials for the bagging of your comic books. If your comic books are worth collecting, then they will be worth preserving well, and you will be more excited to show them off if they look good. This also applies to the tape you use to secure the top of the bag. I recommend that you use Clear Scotch tape. This does not mean any Scotch tape will do, the transparent tape tears easily when you want to revisit the books at a later date. The clear Scotch tape is strong enough, I have found, to stay in one piece when pulled from the surface.
Finally, the order of the placement inside is important as you put the comic book inside the bag. Here, I recommend that you place the board inside the bag first. Let the wrinkles occur without the comic book inside first. Face the shiny side of the board away from the opening flap on the bag. Then place the comic facing away from the shiny side of the board, so the cover is clearly seen form the outside. The back of the comic book should be facing the shiny side of the board. Once you have the comic in place, tape the flap down on the side opposite from the cover.
Now, the project is done, except for the inventory and placement in side a box. When you take the time to preserve your comic book collection–weather it is a new collection or a long time fan, it is important you consider the implications of properly bagging and preserving your comic book collection.
Jarrod says
Dont forget to crease the flap after folding! Makes for a nice crisp finish ๐