🚀 go-pugleaf

> From: lh@Cornell
> I, and possibly quite a few others who read this group, have followed
> comics for a few years, and have many favorites lining my shelves, but
> don't really know the ABC's of collecting.  Perhaps someone could post
> a short article on how to store comics, what the acid-free paper one
> sees in stores is for, how you organize your buying (subscribing vs.
> visiting a store), and other such basics.  Thanks a lot,
> Lane

Well, I was hoping someone else would post a response, since I
haven't collected for long, but I'll take a shot at "the
basics."

Storing comics.  About the *worst* thing you can do is have them
piled on top of one another, unbagged, on an open wood composite
shelf in the direct light of the sun.  After that, anything is
an improvement.  About the *best* (and, except for rabid
investors, overkill) thing to do is bag them separately in Mylar
and store them in a nitrogen environment.  Things that help
comic life include: NO direct sunlight, store them UPRIGHT in a
box that they FIT in (no tight corners, no gaping spaces), and
bag each one SEPARATELY, and buy 2 copies of your favorite
issues so you can have one undamaged by constant handling.
Things that damage comics, aside from the above, include water
of course, chemicals such as acetone (wood composite shelves),
rapid changes in heat/humidity, time.

Acid-free paper.  Acid-free paper basically gives you a chance
to slow the inevitable deterioration.  The acid in some papers
will essentially "eat" the paper, turning it into so much dust.
100% cotton papers, and wood papers prepared with acid-free
techniques, last longer.  Mounting your shrinkwrapped posters on
acid-free cardboard, or storing comics in an acid-free cardboard
box, are based on the same idea.  It is a good idea to treat
artwork of any sort on paper with this kind of care.  Baxter
papers, which are used in some comics (the $1.50 kind) are acid
free.  They also preserve color better (no yellowing).

Subscription/store visiting.  I work in the Reed mailroom and
have seen comics from Marvel show up in the mail.  Not only do
they invariably appear 3-6 days later than I get them in the comics
specialty store, they are frequently folded in half, with
damaged corners, water stains, and/or other transit wounds.  For
this reason I prefer the specialty store.  However, you can
sometimes find great subscription deals in ads which should be
checked out.  The Reed comics library is currently getting a
slew of Marvels from some subscription service for about 45
cents each rather than the stand price of 75 cents.  At the
specialty store I use, I buy over $10.00/month of comics and get
a trade-in slip worth 25% of my purchase that I can use next
time, or save up (I bought two $11.00 issues of X-men that way).
It depends on the store.  Also, I can get back issues at a
store, which is one of my current interests, since I have only
collected for a little while and don't often know the history of
the mag, particularly with DC Comics.

I think that's all I can come up with off the top of my head;  I
hope this answers some of your questions, Lane.

Ellen

-- 
-    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
	"Who's been repeating all that hard stuff to you?"
	"I read it in a book," said Alice.
-    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -