Bags & boards

[Peter Gray]

I was like you George...
But now I'm trying to make things better...
as a tidy collection is something I wished I'd done earlier...specially if you get a leak and your comics and annuals get mould...or very damp....and you end up throwing away lots of rare...close to your heart comics..so if I was telling my younger self....this is my advice to you...

The red boxes I've bought work great for Whoopee's and Beanos...etc...though I'm going to need quite a few of them..
bought 10 red boxes for £30....each Month I'll buy some more on amazon..
Its great to reach out for a box...
Also I like Spy's idea of labels scanning the comics header for the side of the box...

[klakadak-ploobadoof]

Although this thread focuses on bags and boards, I wonder what are people’s thoughts on bound volumes as a way of preserving their comics? Surely there are some collectors who believe it to be a perfect method – bound volumes never fail to sell at top prices in Phil-comics eBay auctions. I personally wasn’t a fan but last year I picked up a couple of large joblots of the Dandy and the Beano from the 70s and the 80s and since they didn’t cost me much and were in perfect condition, I decided to experiment a bit and had them bound in half-year volumes. I liked the result and I am now trying to build complete sets of both titles from 1970 till the late 80s when they changed format. At first my bound volumes had black cloth covers which make them look like bland office ledgers from the outside but I will dress them up in dust jackets. Recently, however, my binders suggested to do colour covers and I am now kicking myself for not thinking of this earlier. Check out a couple of images below. I have some volumes spare from 1972 and 1973 and will put them on eBay when I return from holidays in a couple of weeks’ time.

[Peter Gray]

It was a good idea binding them as a 6 month book...rather than a year book...hopefully its easier to read the Bash Street kids..

[klakadak-ploobadoof]

It was a good idea binding them as a 6 month book...rather than a year book...hopefully its easier to read the Bash Street kids..

Indeed, they open almost flat and the binding doesn't interfere with the reading/viewing pleasure. That's why I didn't want yearly volumes.

[Raven]

Although this thread focuses on bags and boards, I wonder what are people’s thoughts on bound volumes as a way of preserving their comics?

You can read some forum members' views on the topic here, Klak:

http://comicsuk.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4206

[Phoenix]

Although this thread focuses on bags and boards, I wonder what are people’s thoughts on bound volumes as a way of preserving their comics?

Each to his own. A very good friend of mine has an excellent collection of bound volumes of Thomsons' Big Four between 1940 and 1955. Some he bought already bound, but most of them were the result of painstakingly getting full years together over many years, from shops, fairs, Book and Magazine Collector adverts, Compal auctions, eBay etc, and then taking them to a quality binder in Ramsbottom, just a few miles off the M65 Preston to Burnley road. He loves them, and I will admit they do look great. But personally I wouldn't entertain the idea because I want mine as they were on the newsagent's counter. I do, nevertheless, have a bound volume of The Wizard (April to September 1925) that I bought many years ago for the information in it at a time when loose issues were impossible to find. From the opposition camp, where I wouldn't have bought any individual issues, I have bought twelve bound volumes of The Champion between 1934 and 1947, and one of Radio Fun (January to June 1950), all of which I read from time to time.

[Muffy]

I sold most of my valuable issues on eBay (terrible about this D.O.B. data hacked and other personal details lost, security thing at the moment - change your passwords people). They had been lovingly stored in plastic bags, sealed with scotch-tape. I had stored them flat for 3 decades in boxes of 50 - though the valuable issues were at the top of the piles, and at room temperature - so they had never been too cold, maybe 10°, though in the summer they must have been up to 26°.

Some of the bags had discoloured though over 30 years - though not the contents which were near-mint (in my opinion), so when selling, I swopped these for nice-clean new ones before posting. I'm not sure if the acid-free ones are better or the same.

I made sure all these sold issues were bagged and posted with protective card and a thin layer of bubble wrap. Especially important for the US key issues. It took time though to do, as mostly it would be for 1 issue only.

Now the best are gone, the ones left are mostly unbagged and mostly IPC, with a few 'diamonds' for nostalgic, keeping reasons in protective bags.