Are Safe Deposit Boxes Ok for Comics?

[mackenzie999]

A friend told me yesterday that her dad has his original-owner "first Superman comic" (she has no idea if it's A1, S1 or something else) tucked away in a safe deposit box in Florida. I told her about slabbing but she thinks it's unlikely he will bother.

 

Is long term storage in a safe box a bad idea? I'm thinking humidity may be an issue in Florida. I have a box up here in Boston and there is no climate control beyond regular ac.

 

She will one day inherit this book. I think I should start dating her again!

[brasseye]

The coin guys discussed a similar topic some time back, at leangth.

The upshot was that all 'fire proof' safe's were hazzardous to metal objects, due to the fire retrardant chemicls built into them, thus staples on books being the victims for us.

Best consult your supplier of SDB's there may humidity issues more pertinent in the room that they are kept??

 

Hope this helps.

[AussieRuss]

Look at the 3rd topic down in the ask CGC section.

 

Russ...

 

 

It has come to CGC’s attention that certain safes may be harmful to comic books.

 

Over a year ago, CGC received a call from a collector stating that he had some books with rust growing on staples of a few comics. There had been no rust when he last saw the books. We asked that the owner send the books to CGC for inspection. When the books came in, we were very surprised to see extremely rusty staples that had not been rusted a few years prior. After a long investigation and with the help of the collector, we learned that rust could have developed because of the chemical compound used to make his safe fireproof or fire resistant. But because information was limited, at that time, we suspected that heavy moisture in the room where the safe was located contributed to the poor storage conditions for these books, not just the safe itself, since we have never heard of this happening before.

 

Just a few days ago, we received another call.

 

A collector, well-known to CGC, called to ask about the same problem affecting a single book. He was told to send his book in so that we could see it. After thinking about it that evening and remembering the “safe” incident from the year before, I called him the very next morning. I asked him if his comic was stored in a fireproof safe, and his answer was “yes.” I then asked him if it was a safe made by the same company. His answer again was, “yes.” Subsequent examination revealed that not just a single comic book was affected, but a few had rusted staples.

 

Coincidently, both reported incidents involved the same brand safes. We have strong reason to believe that ANY fireproof or fire resistant safe might create a harmful storage environment for your comics. Yesterday, we also learned that fireproof/fire resistant safes are prone to develop moisture. Many fire resistant safes contain insulation, which in turn, contains water crystals; thus the high content of moisture.

 

The collector who recently contacted us furthermore revealed this statement from the owner’s manual for his safe: “Inside of the safe is subject to humidity. If you wish to store stamps or other items which may be affected by moisture, place them in an air tight container before storing”.

 

If you have a fireproof or resistant safe, or if you are thinking about buying one, PLEASE do as much research as possible to determine if it can be harmful to non-precious metals.

 

 

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Look at the 3rd topic down in the ask CGC section.

 

Here.

[greggy]

Safes <> Safety deposit boxes

[AussieRuss]

Safes <> Safety deposit boxes

 

 

Hi Greggy

 

Russ...

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

Safes <> Safety deposit boxes

 

Right. My bank has an air conditioned bank vault and I also live in Florida.

 

The Safe deposit boxes themselves aren't fully air-tight, like a fire safe would be, which allows for some air flow. Also, I keep lots of dessicants in the box along with my comics to absorb any excess humidity in the environment. So far, after two years, no evidence of rust.

[Wally's Comics]

Safes <> Safety deposit boxes

 

Right. My bank has an air conditioned bank vault and I also live in Florida.

 

The Safe deposit boxes themselves aren't fully air-tight, like a fire safe would be, which allows for some air flow. Also, I keep lots of dessicants in the box along with my comics to absorb any excess humidity in the environment. So far, after two years, no evidence of rust.

 

That's where I keep half of my ASM collection.

 

Especially the AF 15.

 

I had mine in a SDB for over a year and have been checking them

every few months out of this year with no signs of damage yet.

 

For many of years there have been collectors of high end comics

and it would be my belief that they used SDB's - with that in mind

I think you would of heard more if SDB caused serious damage

to comics by now.

 

Just put it this way, I pray this is the safest way to keep them...

 

[AussieRuss]

Safes <> Safety deposit boxes

 

Right. My bank has an air conditioned bank vault and I also live in Florida.

 

The Safe deposit boxes themselves aren't fully air-tight, like a fire safe would be, which allows for some air flow. Also, I keep lots of dessicants in the box along with my comics to absorb any excess humidity in the environment. So far, after two years, no evidence of rust.

 

You are correct however the safe that contains a safety deposit box needs to be fire rated if the box itself is not.

 

EG:

S: (n) safe-deposit, safe-deposit box, safety-deposit, safety deposit box, deposit box, lockbox (a fireproof metal strongbox (usually in a bank) for storing valuables)

 

This does not mean that its bad for your books by any means. Its just that some of the fireproofing materials have caused problems in the past.

 

 

 

[143ksk]

I have used fireproof safes and safety deposit boxes for years with no adverse effects on my comics. The key is paying attention to what's going on inside the "box." If you put a humidity meter inside and change your dessicant when needed, you really shouldn't have any problems.

[EastEnd]

I'm in NY (very humid summers; otherwise relatively dry) and have used a safe deposit box for at least a decade with no apparent issues. Also, if the bank has a good/modern central air conditioning system, it should remove a lot of the humidity.

[musicmeta]

Safes <> Safety deposit boxes

 

Right. My bank has an air conditioned bank vault and I also live in Florida.

 

The Safe deposit boxes themselves aren't fully air-tight, like a fire safe would be, which allows for some air flow. Also, I keep lots of dessicants in the box along with my comics to absorb any excess humidity in the environment. So far, after two years, no evidence of rust.

 

I keep some of my books in a SDB and I use those "dessicants" too. I never knew the proper term. I always called them "de-moisture packs" .

I check my books every few months and after 5 years, so far so good.

I am going to get a humidity meter though.

[mackenzie999]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

I passed this along to my friend and it turns out her dad recently donated the comic (as well as a Playboy #1) to a charity for some uninsured person with steep medical bills. So in a way, Superman saves a life!

 

And for the record I did read the thread on safes, and preferred not to make the assumption that safe deposit boxes were an identical situation.

[The Black Hand ®]

Safes <> Safety deposit boxes

 

Right. My bank has an air conditioned bank vault and I also live in Florida.

 

The Safe deposit boxes themselves aren't fully air-tight, like a fire safe would be, which allows for some air flow. Also, I keep lots of dessicants in the box along with my comics to absorb any excess humidity in the environment. So far, after two years, no evidence of rust.

 

 

(thumbs u

[Mr. Zipper]

I'm in NY (very humid summers; otherwise relatively dry) and have used a safe deposit box for at least a decade with no apparent issues. Also, if the bank has a good/modern central air conditioning system, it should remove a lot of the humidity.

 

My wife works in a bank. They turn off the air over the weekends. Come Monday morning, it's very hot and humid in there. Especially in the vault where the SDBs are.

[Guest]

Safes <> Safety deposit boxes

 

Right. My bank has an air conditioned bank vault and I also live in Florida.

 

The Safe deposit boxes themselves aren't fully air-tight, like a fire safe would be, which allows for some air flow. Also, I keep lots of dessicants in the box along with my comics to absorb any excess humidity in the environment. So far, after two years, no evidence of rust.

 

You are correct however the safe that contains a safety deposit box needs to be fire rated if the box itself is not.

 

EG:

S: (n) safe-deposit, safe-deposit box, safety-deposit, safety deposit box, deposit box, lockbox (a fireproof metal strongbox (usually in a bank) for storing valuables)

 

This does not mean that its bad for your books by any means. Its just that some of the fireproofing materials have caused problems in the past.

 

 

 

Right, and many of the banks I talked to when looking for a box told me the same thing. Their boxes are not airtight or fireproof but the vault itself is.

[The Black Hand ®]

I'm in NY (very humid summers; otherwise relatively dry) and have used a safe deposit box for at least a decade with no apparent issues. Also, if the bank has a good/modern central air conditioning system, it should remove a lot of the humidity.

 

My wife works in a bank. They turn off the air over the weekends. Come Monday morning, it's very hot and humid in there. Especially in the vault where the SDBs are.

 

So a lot depends on where you live and if the bank has a climate controlled vault that always on.

[VintageComics]

I'm in NY (very humid summers; otherwise relatively dry) and have used a safe deposit box for at least a decade with no apparent issues. Also, if the bank has a good/modern central air conditioning system, it should remove a lot of the humidity.

 

My wife works in a bank. They turn off the air over the weekends. Come Monday morning, it's very hot and humid in there. Especially in the vault where the SDBs are.

 

So a lot depends on where you live and if the bank has a climate controlled vault that always on.

 

Tracey Heft has said that temperature/humidity CHANGE is the worst thing for paper. Not temperature or humidity extremes (though these are harmful) but the constant change from one extreme to another adversly affects the paper more than anything else.

 

Do not:

 

Allow books to experience extreme temperature/humidy and extreme temperature/humidy changes.

Store books next to an outside wall which allows for temperature change.

 

That's the way I understand it.

 

R.

 

 

 

 

[EastEnd]

I'm in NY (very humid summers; otherwise relatively dry) and have used a safe deposit box for at least a decade with no apparent issues. Also, if the bank has a good/modern central air conditioning system, it should remove a lot of the humidity.

 

My wife works in a bank. They turn off the air over the weekends. Come Monday morning, it's very hot and humid in there. Especially in the vault where the SDBs are.

 

My bank is open both days on weekends.

[Dark Knight]

I hope putting books in a safety deposit box is fine. I have all of my expensive books kept in their for the past 3 months and so far so good. I didn't put anything in the box to control the humidity though. Would that be an issue in the long run?