Comic Storage Recommendations from Conservation Resources Intl 2 2

[Bayowolf]

I wanted to get some opinions on recommendations I had from an organization which states that "For more than 40 years Conservation Resources has proudly delivered the highest quality conservation and archival storage materials to major institutions dedicated to preserving cultural and historical artifacts worldwide."  https://www.conservationresources.com/shop-our-store/  They advertise that they supply materials, boxes, paper, bags, etc. for Libraries and Museums. So I figured I'd check them out for suggestions on storing comics.

I had some emails and a couple phone conversations about the best way to store comic books. In one email CR said concerning sealing comic bags in boxes:

"You don’t want to seal it because the polyester is somewhat impermeable and you want whatever chemicals off-gas from the comic to be able to escape, not be trapped in the enclosure with the end result that the comic essentially ‘stews in its own juices’. If you use MicroChamber boxes they will absorb the by-products of the deterioration (which is slowed but not halted by proper archival storage) and the interior of the box will remain a pristine environment."

 

In another email:

"Using a MicroChamber box is an added layer of protection because it really should address the issues of outside air pollutants, thus leaving the interleaving paper or the backing boards to concentrate on what is coming from the paper and inks from the comic books themselves......No museum or library I know completely seals anything. The material being preserved whatever it may be is going to release by-products of deterioration over time. Polyester (aka Mylar) envelopes and “L” seals are used widely, as you know, but completely sealing them is just not because we want these problematic gaseous compounds to escape. Further, the last thing you want is Chemical A and Chemical B floating around and catalyzing another reaction which leads to Chemical C, which may be more troublesome than either A or B on its own. Does that make sense?"

Yes, that does make sense!

So why do we want to seal our comics so they can "stew in their own juices"?? What are opinions on this. Seems like people who take care of documents much older than our comic books would know what to do. 

 

 

 

 

[Bayowolf]

Wondering why I get a lot of views, but no replies; even from CGC people.

[Bayowolf]

This applies to comics in bags not slabbed.

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

There is a lot of useful information about preservation and archival storage out there. One of the leading resources, I believe , would be the Library of Congress.  We each have our own preferences when it comes to how to store our collectibles , and a lot of it boils down to value vs cost. Sure there have been big advances in ways to protect and preserve some of these items , but cost can be a huge factor.

Outside of expensive collectibles,  is the average collector going to shell out the cost for archival backers, boards , MicroChamber paper to place inside the comics, and MicroChaber boxes to place all of that in? 

If you are going to that extent of preservation, then maybe even the graded slabs should be done to the same extent, Shouldn't they? I mean the slabs aren't sealed and still should have the same protection from outside air pollutants,  as well as the potential of chemicals A,B,C catalyzing each other just the same correct? 

If you are going to this extent maybe a room should be constructed for the precise control of temp and humidity should be built for truly optimal storage conditions.  

At what point will it all be too much? As I said before the only deciding factor will be how much money you have/ willing to invest into the preservation of your collection and the value of it vs the cost of said preservation. 

For the average collector they do not even go to archival bags/boards as even those can cost more than the books inside or it is cheaper just to change the bags every so often. 

This is just my 

Edited February 19, 2021 by onlyweaknesskryptonite