Sounds like classic moisture damage. The books could have been exposed to water and dried or just in a really damp environment.

By the way, when I lived in an apartment, I had a leak inside a closet! The chimney ran behind the closet, and what was happening is the chimney flashing was shot, so water was running down the outside of the chimney and accumulating on the ceiling above the closet. The only thing that saved my books is that I had a pack of comic bags on top of my shortboxes. The water pooled up on top of the bags instead of getting into the comics.

Welcome to the Boards!

Welcome to the forums.

What era are your books from? I've heard anecdotes that books with certain paper stock (for instance, some late 80s/early 90s Marvels) can get a bit of a rippled effect even under optimal conditions. External sources of humidity are most likely, but if none exist then maybe something like that is the answer.

Thanks for the answers.
My comics are from 1984-present, is that modernage? I store all my comics upright in the same box, but it is not an issue with all the comics, some of them are perfect, but some of them are, as mentioned earlier, kind of wavy. I only have TMNT comics from Mirage publishing and Image. They are all bagged and boarded and stored in the same box.

The comics with this flaw might even have been like this ever since I ordered them, I'm not sure as I haven't read each issue when I received it.

But as said... I keep them at the top of my closet, there's no humidity issues, no leaks inside the closet and the rooms' temperature is about 65 degrees. Have I taken enough precautions to prevent this from happening to any of my other comics?

Thanks for the welcome

Some moderns tend to get a light rippling at the top and/or bottom edge. It seems to happen most often with books that have full ink coverage (black ink all the way to the edges). If this is what the books have, I do not believe it is considered a flaw.

Ok, cool. I'll keep them stored where I have them now then... Thanks

I use Mylites2 and Full-Backs. My question is, is there anything in Britain that is made that are just as good as the E. Gerber?

Got in touch with a guy on here that can do the bags at a good price when I need some more. Postage is understandably high to post here.



Ta

Have you tried Incognito Comics? They stock more supplies than any other UK dealer that I know of so it could save you on postage costs.

I get them way cheaper from the States than Incog sell them even with the sometimes customs charges. And I sell them much cheaper than Incog. At the mo I have some on Ebay less than half price of what Incog sell them for. Though this is my point at E.Gerber you can but these for about $7 but by the time they get here they jump up to around $14 - $20. We need a manufacturer of these bags and boards over here in the UK me thinks. Saying all this though you know what would happen if we did have a manufacturer over here don't you? They would still be about the same price you can get them from the States because of rip off Britain. Ah well I like the bags and boards so will carry on using them whatever the price. I suppose you save in the long run not having to change them asa often hey?

I took a lesson from Chromium and started using magazine holders for all my books,and am in the process of getting titles such as "Amazing Spider-man" etc. made for the front of the Mag. holder.

Sorry so blurry I used the wifes cell phone camera.

Hi,

Currently my comics are in cardboard boxes. I bag them, often putting two comics back to back in the same bag. Is there any issue with this method?
Regards

Good idea. I would put a backing board between them still. In a a mylites2 also. The backing board would have to be a full back 100% acid free too. Saves keep changing the bags and boards and when you have a big collection it can be a pain.

I really like this look, however I don't think I could do it myself. Too many books and not enough shelfspace...

I used to do this with my moderns. Never had a problem with it and it actually seems to offer more structural support.

If it's a more valuable book, I would not do two to a bag.

It would be alright with a backing board in between the two books wouldn't it? If you can get one in mind. Though if one book starts going I presume it would effect the other book. This way would save a fortune on bags and boards. I might start doing this but only with books I get from now as I really can't be arsed going through my collection to rebag them all. Did that last year and it was a ball ache. At least now I wont have to change them again in my life time.

I have heard a dealer say they have seen many comics in crapped up old bags that were still in great shape. I think it is the board that is really the problem as they will transfer acid to the comic over time. The way you are doing it is probably very good for page quality of the comics, but the board does offer support and prevent spine stresses and corner dings.

Mike

I am rebagging books from around '76 and '94. I am way over due---they were bagged and borded in 1995, put in a long box and then in the closet.

Some boards--stiffer ones w/shiney side-still look good.
one batch of flimsier boards are notably yellow vs white boards.

Poly bags show yellow when put in a stack or rolled up....more so from the yellow boards.

I had some books in bags only. I'm trying to see if I can see a page color difference between the books in no boards, yellow boards and white boards. I had some '76 marvels in all three and they were ones I bought at the news stand and kept in bags prior so they were probably in similar shape to start.

I noticed the E Gerber Half Back boards (new ones I just bought) are more flexible than the common boards sold at shops...but they also are said to be safer. Which side of the board does the comic reside? does it matter? They are said to be buffered throughout. How long before replacing?

I purchased a pH pencil so I can do some tests on my old boards....and track the new ones as year start to count.

I don't think it really matters which side you put the book on but I find one side to be slightly smoother so I usually use that one. If you are also using Mylites then in theory you should not have to worry about swapping out the board as it will become inert with time and not like other boards which become more acidic as they age. At least this is my understanding.

just wondering if anyone knows where i can get the fullback boards from in the uk? seems that no one sells them, only the halfbacks and i just dont like the flimsiness of the halfbacks, yes im one of those obsessive/perfectionist collectors lol

I would contact Nick Beckett through his website - www.comicanadirect.com

If anyone knows it will be him.

Mike

I store my best comics in Bill Cole 4 mil thick Mylars-- Time Locks. I don't have to use backing board because the Mylars are so thick. Not fond of backing boards anyway -- even the acid free ones. I also keep them flat in boxes. See the picture below. I have them stacked on top of each other about ten comics deep so weight really isn't an issue. Can this be bad or damage my comics?

Thanks

Stacking 10 at a time won't be a problem. The paper will give off gases over time and using buffered backing boards and the paper like CGC inside each cover can help absorb it. All that being said, the biggest thing is storage conditions. Keep them out of the sun, at room temperatue, and in a neutral humidity environment. After that all the storage methods are really just extras.

Mike

Thanks for answering my question, Monkeyman. I didn't know that CGC uses paper inside each cover to absorb the gas. Do you know what they use and have a picture for reference?

A different question: I own one CGC comic, a 9.2 Daredevil 111. I can see slight rust on one of the staples. What is your opinion on it getting worse over time, even in the CGC case?

Thanks.

The rust should stabilize (not progress) if the storage conditions are correct - dry, cool and dark. I have a few GA books with slight rust tor years that have not gotten worse.

You can go here to read about microchamber paper - http://www.conservationresources.com/Ma ... hamber.htm

CGC puts a sheet inside the front and back covers of every comic before slabbing. I also do this with the books I store in mylites.

As far as the rust on the staple is concerned, I think the environment in which you store the comic is the most important factor. Initially many people worried that storing a comic in an enclosed CGC case wouldn't allow air circulation and that gases from the paper and humidity could build up inside the case, damaging the comic. I have never heard of this actually happening. I have seen photos of comics in CGC cases with terrible rust on the staples, but these were stored in safes. Apparently a home safe is a very poor environment for storing metal as the humidity promotes rusting. I've heard that guns stored in gun safes need to be oilied or they will rust. On the other hand, safety deposit boxes seem to be OK as they are in a controled humidity environment.

You can always call CGC and ask for the grading notes on your comic. If they mention rust then it was there during the grading. If they don't mention rust it is possible that it has formed since slabbing (although it is also possible they just didn't mention it in the notes).

Realistically, your DD 111 is worth about $30 so why not crack it out of the slab and enjoy it? I take almost all of my comics out of the slabs so I can read them (unless I'm planning to upgrade), but many other people slab their raw comics even though they aren't for sale. This is something I don't understand, but to each his own.

Mike

Thanks, Mr. Zipper and Monkeyman for answering my questions. I have a raw DD 111 that isn't a 9.2, and I have read and enjoyed the book very much. I suppose I wanted to keep my higher grade copy in the slab. Do CGC comics have to be re-slabbed, even though they have not been opened, after so much time has passed (years) in order to keep the book preserved?

A note on backboards: When I took my comics out of their polybags and boards, I noticed that some of the ink from the backcovers of the comics had transferred to the boards. The comics had been stored for about 20 years (1991). That kind of freaked me out about using backing boards, even acid free ones, in the future. I will look into microchamber paper.

Thanks again.

I've never heard of this before.

It happened to some of my comics. On the ones it happened to, I noticed on the back board that a reverse image of the back cover of the comic had transferred onto the board. That's what turned me off from using back boards. On some of the other boards, I noticed a yellowish border had formed on the backing board. I asked one of my best friends who is also a long time comic collector if he'd seen this happen to any of his comics, and he said he had seen the same thing on some of his too.

I heard it has something to do with the fire resistant chemicals in the safe and not necessarily the humidity. I'll have to see if I can find where I read that.



I have seen this a handful of times but it really seems to be the exception moreso than the rule. If you are replacing your backing boards regularly, then I don't think it'll be much of an issue.

I've seen it many, many times. The backer board has a negative image of the back cover.

What is happening is that the offgassing from the interior pages travels through the back cover onto the backer board. Where there is no ink on the back cover (white areas) the offgassing is the heaviest and leaves a mark. Where there is ink on the back cover the offgasses are somewhat blocked. The net effect is there is a reverse image of the back cover on the backing board.

I found this on dozens and dozens of my OO comics from the 80s as I rebagged over the past decade. That said, I could find no ill effect. The back covers were still snow white in most instances and the page quality was never worse than off-white / white.

This is a back board from one of my 1993 X-Force comics. The board is almost 20 years old.