Question on Storing CGC Comics posted by David Swan

[CSJournals-migration]

Is there a best position to store them in? In other words laid flat on it's front, on it's back, on the bottom edge, on the side edge, on the top edge etc...

 

Thank You

 

See more journals by David Swan

[Bill1]

I like to store mine in a mylar sleeve (to prevent scratches/scuff marks) standing up in a CGC sized box. I think they are less likely to get damaged that way. Each box holds about 30. You can still read the label on the top edge if you need to access a certain book, and they are also well protected from any lighting issues. I put a plain backer board on the inside of each end of the box to block the holes from the handles. I stack the boxes no more than 2 deep.

[joeypost]

Keep in mind storing books that way will allow gravity to take over, especially if they are basically left undisturbed. The weight of the book alone will cause it to sink in the inner well until it hits the bottom edge. I have seen many slabs with damage to the bottom edge due to being stored this way.

 

Many store the book on the spine edge down. This reduces the chance of any damage.

[meshuggah]

Good info. I've also wondered this as most of my books are displayed upright with the rest in a CGC box upright.

[Brandon Shepherd]

This is an excellent topic, I have thought abut this myself before. Like Bill1, I store my slabs in Mylar sleeves with boxes designated for CGC, I also have backing boards to block light from the holes on each handle. After reading this post and the observation from joeypost, I have become paranoid about some of my prize books, specifically my 100 page giant and my thicker 52 pagers from the Bronze Age. I keep imagining these heavy books, succumbing to the pressure at the bottom...

[weaponx12781]

Keep in mind storing books that way will allow gravity to take over, especially if they are basically left undisturbed. The weight of the book alone will cause it to sink in the inner well until it hits the bottom edge. I have seen many slabs with damage to the bottom edge due to being stored this way.

 

Many store the book on the spine edge down. This reduces the chance of any damage.

 

 

 

Can you recommend any storage boxes or certain filing cabinets on the market in which slabs can be stored in this position...any help would be much appreciated

[joeypost]

Keep in mind storing books that way will allow gravity to take over, especially if they are basically left undisturbed. The weight of the book alone will cause it to sink in the inner well until it hits the bottom edge. I have seen many slabs with damage to the bottom edge due to being stored this way.

 

Many store the book on the spine edge down. This reduces the chance of any damage.

 

 

 

Can you recommend any storage boxes or certain filing cabinets on the market in which slabs can be stored in this position...any help would be much appreciated

 

I had custom cabinets made for them.

[Silver Collector]

Keep in mind storing books that way will allow gravity to take over, especially if they are basically left undisturbed. The weight of the book alone will cause it to sink in the inner well until it hits the bottom edge. I have seen many slabs with damage to the bottom edge due to being stored this way.

 

Many store the book on the spine edge down. This reduces the chance of any damage.

 

Hi Joeypost,

Do you have any pictures you can share with this kind of damage? After reading this thread I went to my CGC boxes and looked for damage. I didn't notice any on mine. Some of my books have been slabbed for 12+ years. I definitely want to store them the right way (I store mine like Brandon Shepherd does).

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[Bill1]

I'm not sure any CGC book in a box, unmoved, will have a problem with gravity to where it would dent or in any way damage the book/cover/pages. If it is regularly moved and handled (the box) and set down hard, or dropped, like in and out of conventions and such, then yes, I could see a problem. But if plain gravity would hurt them just sitting still, wouldn't it also be damaging ALL books in sleeves, or any kind of bags? Talking plain old earth gravity of course! On Jupiter it would be a whole different story!

[newshane]

I'm not sure any CGC book in a box, unmoved, will have a problem with gravity to where it would dent or in any way damage the book/cover/pages. If it is regularly moved and handled (the box) and set down hard, or dropped, like in and out of conventions and such, then yes, I could see a problem. But if plain gravity would hurt them just sitting still, wouldn't it also be damaging ALL books in sleeves, or any kind of bags? Talking plain old earth gravity of course! On Jupiter it would be a whole different story!

 

Yes, I'm also very skeptical of the idea.

 

If gravity is that big of an issue, then comics that have been bagged, boarded, and stored upright should show the same damage - which they don't.

 

If gravity is an issue, then what makes the spine more qualified to take the damage than the bottom of the book?

 

If gravity is an issue, I'd imagine the best way to store them would be face up - that way the entire book would share the burden without any undue stress on a specific part of the comic.

 

I'd definitely like to see some sort of science on the subject.

 

The most convenient way to store slabs, in my experience, is vertically with the label running along the top.

 

I'm not saying anyone is right and wrong, but I'd love to read and study more about this.

[Bomber-Bob]

Some books have the wedges in the inner well that seem to protect movement with normal handling. In the absence of wedges, the books will eventually gravitate toward the bottom ridge of the inner well, however, it is usually a very gentle landing and the books are fine. Occasionally I will go through my books, turn them upside and give them a light tap to move them back up. Us comic collectors are so very anal.

[isiTrue]

I'm not sure any CGC book in a box, unmoved, will have a problem with gravity to where it would dent or in any way damage the book/cover/pages. If it is regularly moved and handled (the box) and set down hard, or dropped, like in and out of conventions and such, then yes, I could see a problem. But if plain gravity would hurt them just sitting still, wouldn't it also be damaging ALL books in sleeves, or any kind of bags? Talking plain old earth gravity of course! On Jupiter it would be a whole different story!

 

Yes, I'm also very skeptical of the idea.

 

If gravity is that big of an issue, then comics that have been bagged, boarded, and stored upright should show the same damage - which they don't.

 

If gravity is an issue, then what makes the spine more qualified to take the damage than the bottom of the book?

 

If gravity is an issue, I'd imagine the best way to store them would be face up - that way the entire book would share the burden without any undue stress on a specific part of the comic.

 

I'd definitely like to see some sort of science on the subject.

 

The most convenient way to store slabs, in my experience, is vertically with the label running along the top.

 

I'm not saying anyone is right and wrong, but I'd love to read and study more about this.

 

 

Good points from both, and I concur: no jarring movements and proper pressure on the book should negate those concerns. Also, none of this should apply to modern books in the newer holder (but correct me if I'm wrong).

 

I can, however, see how an older book in a loose inner well could be damaged over time due to gravity. If it has an off-center cover, then that bottom edge could be bent as a result of the weight of the book.

 

I don't have much experience with seeing these sorts of effects, but here's a possibility as to why books in bags/boards wouldn't show damage while books in loose inner wells might. Perhaps if the fit of the inner well is very loose, then the flat bottom edge of the book takes all of the weight and, being paper, shifts to the sides over time. Bagged+boarded books have a slight amount of pressure applied to the bottom of the book if they're too close to where the bag wraps around the board.

 

Spine-down would appear to be safer since the pages are most secure in that area.