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New with a Question

Started by Freiherr,

38 posts in this topic

Freiherr

Freiherr

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Posted

 

 

Been lurking for a while and decided to sign up.

 

I am a very modest collector and began reading/collecting comics in the early 90s right before the Image boom. I was in high school and my friend who go me hooked would go to a small comic shop once a week in my busted up 66 Mustang. We would spend a few hour there picking over stuff and talking about comics with the shops owner who wasn't much older than we were.

 

It didn't take me long to get the idea that I could get rich someday from comics, but luckily that attitude didn’t last long. I started buying only what I enjoyed reading (which was more than enough) and only splurged on older comics that meant something to me or were an insane value. Many were a wise investment, but I don’t think about their worth. I am just glad that I only had to spend a dollar or so on what would now cost me $20-$100 today.

 

Unfortunately it seemed that there was a millennium bug that hit the comics industry. My favorite writers changed titles like underwear, comics were being “adapted” to their upcoming movies, and the only thing artists like McFarlane drew were paychecks. I stopped buying comics almost completely and tucked my small collection of 4 or so boxes in the attic (minus the more valuable items).

 

Because I still read about what was coming out (from Wizard and internet) I have decided to come back thanks to a select few releases I might be interested in. I also hope to someday snag up those few key issues I would love to own. This brings me to my question.

 

Do any of you display your comics? (as in framed or something similar)

 

I just finished a large amount of work on my house and now have an office I want to decorate with some of my collected items (just not comics). The comics I have chosen so far to display are not worth a lot of money, but I still would like to keep them safe. So far I have a Secret Wars #8, Amazing Spiderman #300 and a Venom #1 (I was a big Venom fan) hung on the wall. They are in thick Mylar sleeves inside the frames. The office is dark and they are not exposed to any UV lighting (office is lit by 2 small lamps). The other is a Famous First Edition reprint of Superman #1. Not worth the frame it is in, but is a neat display considering it looks exactly like the original (only much bigger).

 

Are these books safe the way I have them (other than the risk of falling)?

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deathlok

deathlok

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I don't display my comics, and wouldn't want to really. I know there is a company that makes frames for comics, with UV glass/plexiglass. I suppose if I wanted to display them I would enlarge a scan and frame that. That way you would get the look and keep your comics safe.

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OldSchoolTerry

OldSchoolTerry

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I display some of my comics, in my living room actually. I went through the same thing as you really, getting away from the hobby, tucking my boxes away, and only recently getting those boxes out of my closet, and beginning to read them again.

As for the display of my comics, what I've done is this. I bought a big poster frame (18x24 maybe?), with the plastic piece over the front, and the carboard backing. I attached four of my comics (bagged and boarded of course) to the cardboard, and now I have it hanging on my wall in the living room. It's so cool to see those comics in the display like that every time I walk by. I do this with less valuable comics of course, but ones that are still pretty old, and have great looking covers. Then, when I get bored of looking at those after a few months, I take it down, and put four new comics in there. My living room is pretty dark normally, even during the day, and when I have the light on, it's not a UV light, so I'm not that worried about the books fading. Grea

Great subject. Thanks for this post!! thumbsup2.gif

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jeff2004

jeff2004

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I don't display my comics, and wouldn't want to really. I know there is a company that makes frames for comics, with UV glass/plexiglass. I suppose if I wanted to display them I would enlarge a scan and frame that. That way you would get the look and keep your comics safe.

 

I think that is a cool idea. Get a high quality color scan and blow it up to a poster size. I think that would look cool on the wall fi you had a comic with a really cool cover.

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Mushroom

Mushroom

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I display a small number of my comic books....in particular I have Miss America #1 (thanks Araich), Astro Boy #1, Frankenstein Jnr #1 (love those Impossibles), Banana Splits #1 and Batman #181 on show. These are the books that relate most to my youth (I still need a Flintstones #1 and a Jetsons #1).

 

I have them behind UV resistant perspex and away from any sunlight....except the CGC books which I have displayed in just the slab.

 

For other comics I use production proofs which I get framed.

 

By the way...talking about my youth did anybody ever produce a comic book for Gigantor, Prince Planet or Here comes the Grump?

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Freiherr

Freiherr

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Thanks for the input.

 

Framing a copy of the cover is a good idea, but it wouldn't really fit with what I am doing. All the other memorabilia are the actual items and a copy of a cover wouldn’t really fit because it wouldn’t look like an actual comic.

 

When visitors come to my home they love to hold the items in their hands and take a close look. The 70s re-release of Superman #1 gets a lot of attention because it has obvious signs of age and the people are only a tad less interested when I explain to them it is not the original (the other poplar item is a 1912 canceled stock note from the company that owned the Titanic). The displayed items start many conversations and I enjoy seeing the people go back to their childhood or remember stories told to them by their relatives.

 

Granted, if I had a real copy of Superman #1 I doubt I would hang it (even though I would be tempted). However, I ask because I do have some Silver Age comics that are worth a little that I would love to frame for display. I was wondering what dangers other than the risk of damage taken in a fall I put these in.

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ericc123

ericc123

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I don't currently display my books but I have been looking into it. My room is pretty barren due to the fact that my parents gave all of my furniture (except my bed) to my nephew. I hardly live at home anyway due to college so it's not a bid deal. I was in negotiations with my LCS to buy a display case (not just any case but a Coca Cola disply case) but even though they offered me a great deal I passed. Just can't seem to get out of the mind set that displaying an expensive comic puts it at risk.

 

Eric

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Mushroom

Mushroom

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Just a response to your response.....cover proofs are the original production art used to check accuracy and quality prior to printing the book. There is less than 3% which survived from the GA, SA and BA era's. If you want your friends to hold something special and one off then you could certainly do a lot worse.

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THE_BEYONDER

THE_BEYONDER

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First.....I put the comic in a Top Loader :

 

FRAMING1.jpg

 

Then I built a sleeve frame for it....

 

FRAMING2.jpg

 

The frame is open at the top ( there is a slot ), which allows me to insert the Top Loader....

 

FRAMING3.jpg

 

FRAMING4.jpg

 

All you have to do is mount the frame on your wall......and you can easily change the comic any time you want. thumbsup2.gif

 

( Obviously the presentation is much better when you remove the comic from it's bag and board, and add a coat of paint to the frame. The miswrap on that ASM 136 doesn't really help matters either.... tongue.gif)

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sckao

sckao

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By the way...talking about my youth did anybody ever produce a comic book for Gigantor, Prince Planet or Here comes the Grump?

 

They produced a number of books for Prince Planet.. except the actual name is Astro Boy. I think they called it Prince Planet in the Midwest when they showed the cartoon on television.

 

76_1.JPG

 

6-090903-79.jpg

 

 

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fantastic_four

fantastic_four

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I use three tools to help display my comics--rubber/wire plate display stands, rubber/wire plate wall hangers, and clear plastic brochure holders. My goal with all three of these items was to obtain something that would let me mount comics on a wall or prop them up on a table with NO obstruction to the front by the prop or hanger itself. The plate stands cost about $2 apiece and are for propping up books on surfaces in low-traffic areas; the clear plastic brochure holder cost about $4 and is for propping books in higher-traffic areas. Here's a pic:

 

TableDisplay.jpg

 

I've got one plate stand in front for you to see it; another is holding up the comic on the left, and note the stand is only visible at the very bottom of the comic; the clear plastic brochure holder is holding the comic on the right and the comic sets down into it with support in front to keep it upright in case somebody bumps it.

 

Here's the plate wall hanger I use, which cost about $3:

 

WallDisplay.jpg

 

Note that you can only see the holder at the very top and bottom of the comic and it's fairly unobtrusive, although I'd prefer a solution with NO front visibility. We debated this heavily in another thread, and nobody pointed out any major flaw in my hypothesis--I only hang comics up in areas where I can control the light that gets to the comic, so I'm confident I'm doing almost no damage to the book.

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