How to Properly Store and Protect Your Comic Book Collection

This article focuses on how to store and protect your comic book collection. We often taken for granted that our most prized possessions will be okay if we store them under the bed or in the top of our closet. With comic books people make the error of convincing themselves that they put in a plastic bag everything will be okay forever. Plastic bags are good, the "mylar" bags sold these days made of polypropolyene, are designed to seal out everything, but even they are not infallible. Then there are the ones that convince themselves by placing a cardboard backer behind their comic book and then placing it in a plastic bag it is double protection. But, the reality is that comic book collections still require a certain degree of maintenance to ensure that the collection is safe and sound.

The problem with the plastic bags are that sometimes you can seal moisture in and not seal it out. Be careful when you are placing your comic book in the plastic bag but there is no moisture around. You must wash your hands with soap and water prior to placing the comic in the bag, this is to remove oils on your hands, that could potentially end up staining the comic. Most serious collectors wear gloves when they are handling their comic books outside of the plastic bags and that is usually because they're afraid that the oils from their hands will contaminate the cover or the interior pages.

As for the cardboard backer you must make sure that it is the color white all the way through and not just regular cardboard. Talk to your comic bookstore and make sure that you have the appropriate backer. It must also be acid-free.

Now, that you have your comics with backer board in place and safely inside a, dry, closed plastic bag, you should place it in a box for storage. Most collectors store their comics in boxes with a certain height and width. They do this to keep comics from falling over and potentially have them crease or bend during storage. A lot of collectors also organize and store them in alphabetical order. They do this because when they have questions or looking for certain issue is easily located. This keeps them from going through their entire collection and possibly damaging comic books by repeatedly pulling them out of the boxes and placing them back in. And just like backer board a good storage box is always acid-free.

Stored boxes in a cool and dry environment, typically 70 degrees Fahrenheit or below is good and 50% to 60% relative humidity, and in a dark location where the humidity and temperature stay relatively stable. You must not store them at it an attic that is extremely hot in the summer and extremely cold in the winter or in the a basement prone to moisture problems. The "mylar" bags may be able to protect them over time in the moist environment but sooner or later mildew is going to occur. Make sure that the comic book boxes are off the floor, perhaps on a shelf, to protect them somewhat from the moisture and mold.

Once you have organized, bagged, boxed and stored your comics you want to routinely check on them and look for signs that something may be wrong. Signs that you are looking for are staining of the covers, mold or mildew, bleeding of the colors onto the white backer board, and also smelling the inside of the bag for any signs of odor that is associated with mildew. If you find that your bags have been contaminated and you do smell the odor of mildew, remove your comics, and place them in a dry location and come back and check in two days.

If you find that you still having the problem it may be necessary to move the infected comics elsewhere just to protect the larger portion of your collection. Mildew must be treated like a virus because it has the potential to spread among your comic collection and can even penetrate your mylar bags.

Another thing to remember is that not all bags and storage boxes universally fit a comic book, there may be a certain type of bag or box or other item that is unique to your collection. Be sure to talk to your comic bookstore to ensure you have the proper materials to store and protect your collection.