Reslabbing your CGC comics every 7 years

[fantastic_four]

Excellent information, fantastic_four! So, we are actually dooming our books by keeping them in the slab, or does the microchamber paper neutralize the effect?

 

I can see only one preservation difference between comics in CGC slabs and comics in melinex/polybags--it's more expensive to replace microchamber paper in a slab than it is in melinex/polybags, but it needs to be done with both. How many of us use microchamber paper or those Bill Cole "time x-tenders" in our bags to begin with? Definitely less than 1% of all collectors, and probably less than 5% of the subset of collectors who use mylar/melinex.

 

Interestingly, it just occurred to me that the CGC case has more potential for ideal storage than any melinex bag does due to the inner well/outer case design. If they could open up little air-vent slots on all four sides of the well and the outer case which let acid diffuse out, then the CGC case would be a BETTER storage solution than anything out there on the market. This should be eminently possible since the outer case is only tacked down at the four sides anyway, leaving the vertical and horizontal sides free for vents to be added.

[LordWeitzel-migration]

Here are some questions I was going to ask, but--after reading this forum and realizing that no one really has the answers--will refrain from asking:

 

(1) How often should I replace my bags & boards?? Doing it every X years is a big chunk of money for people owning thousands of comics...

 

(2) How quickly do those CGC plastic cases deteriorate compared with standard comic bags & boards? i.e. how often, if ever, must I replace CGCed books?

 

(3) Following up the previous questions: if I plan on keeping my comics for a while yet, but eventually getting them CGCed and sold, what are the pros/cons of getting a book CGCed *now* rather than *later*? (Better protected over time?)

 

If anyone has figured out anything recently (has CGC posted anything definitive?), let us know.

 

One question I still have:

 

(4) Backing boards come with a "glossy" side. Should this glossy side be facing the comic, or facing the bag, for maximum protection?

 

Thanks.

[Illiterati-migration]

Facing.

[Aces]

Facing.

 

But make sure they don't face north so they don't get any moss damage.

[Aman619]

I do it the other way. The glossy side seems to stain more. ANyway, dont the acid free boards only have non-glosssy sides??? And if so, these boarsd arent very good for th ecomics so what does it matter which way they face??

[Samurai-Bill]

Oh my god !!!

I am in the process of selling off my raw FF'S to replace them with slabbed copies .

 

So I would have been better keeping the raw comics as in the future the gases / acids sealed inside the CGC slab will " eat my comic " .

 

100 FF'S sold so far .

 

What have I done !!!

[Silver Surfer]

If the micro chamber paper stops neutralising the acids then the pages can start to deteriorate.

 

I seriously doubt that. It might make the different between having white pages and off-white pages but if this were a problem then all of our raw books would be junk by now.

[Silver Surfer]

Excellent information, fantastic_four! So, we are actually dooming our books by keeping them in the slab, or does the microchamber paper neutralize the effect?

 

I can see only one preservation difference between comics in CGC slabs and comics in melinex/polybags--it's more expensive to replace microchamber paper in a slab than it is in melinex/polybags, but it needs to be done with both. How many of us use microchamber paper or those Bill Cole "time x-tenders" in our bags to begin with? Definitely less than 1% of all collectors, and probably less than 5% of the subset of collectors who use mylar/melinex.

 

Interestingly, it just occurred to me that the CGC case has more potential for ideal storage than any melinex bag does due to the inner well/outer case design. If they could open up little air-vent slots on all four sides of the well and the outer case which let acid diffuse out, then the CGC case would be a BETTER storage solution than anything out there on the market. This should be eminently possible since the outer case is only tacked down at the four sides anyway, leaving the vertical and horizontal sides free for vents to be added.

 

I still think they should look at air tight containers as that way the book will remain fresh and unharmed. I think that exposure to air is what eventually breaks down the quality of the page, gloss, etc. Just look at the Gaines EC collection that was kept in an airtight contaner for all those years. The books still smelled like they just came off the printer and crisp pages.

[Jayman]

Excellent information, fantastic_four! So, we are actually dooming our books by keeping them in the slab, or does the microchamber paper neutralize the effect?

 

I can see only one preservation difference between comics in CGC slabs and comics in melinex/polybags--it's more expensive to replace microchamber paper in a slab than it is in melinex/polybags, but it needs to be done with both. How many of us use microchamber paper or those Bill Cole "time x-tenders" in our bags to begin with? Definitely less than 1% of all collectors, and probably less than 5% of the subset of collectors who use mylar/melinex.

 

Interestingly, it just occurred to me that the CGC case has more potential for ideal storage than any melinex bag does due to the inner well/outer case design. If they could open up little air-vent slots on all four sides of the well and the outer case which let acid diffuse out, then the CGC case would be a BETTER storage solution than anything out there on the market. This should be eminently possible since the outer case is only tacked down at the four sides anyway, leaving the vertical and horizontal sides free for vents to be added.

 

 

I still think they should look at air tight containers as that way the book will remain fresh and unharmed. I think that exposure to air is what eventually breaks down the quality of the page, gloss, etc. Just look at the Gaines EC collection that was kept in an airtight contaner for all those years. The books still smelled like they just came off the printer and crisp pages.

 

As long as the comics in question are kept in a climate controlled area. Because as already stated on these boards humidity can pass through the plastic/mylar and wreak havoc on the comic.

[fantastic_four]

I still think they should look at air tight containers as that way the book will remain fresh and unharmed. I think that exposure to air is what eventually breaks down the quality of the page, gloss, etc. Just look at the Gaines EC collection that was kept in an airtight contaner for all those years. The books still smelled like they just came off the printer and crisp pages.

 

You can't say the Gaines books had "crisp" pages; there are a LOT of books in that collection with cream pages. New York humidity and temperature changes during the seasons are rough on comics if they're not in a controlled environment.

 

Airtight, not airtight--if it's in a controlled environment, the other factors don't matter nearly as much. But I can't see how you can outright disagree with the scientists at the LoC without at least some accurate empirical evidence.