How to Store and Preserve Comics with Inserts -- Gum, Records, Etc. 1 1

[mlovest]

Hello!

Just curious, I know when a bagged comic is submitted to CGC, they take the comic out and throw away the bag.  But what about comics with other items of possible value, like records, loose cards, etc.?  I recently bought one of the mini Spider-Man comics (Amazing Spider-Man, Bubble Funnies, In the Clutches of Doc Ock (1981)) still sealed in plastic wrap and the gum inside.  I took off the plastic, removed and threw away the gum, and put the mini comic in Mylar with a fullback.

I just purchased Amazing Spider-Man, The Mark of the Man-Wolf (Book & Record Set) (1974), and it's still in the plastic.  Looks absolutely perfect, but I am thinking of removing the plastic to store the comic in Mylar and fullback, and tucking the record into its own bag (but keeping them together).  

What do you think?  I  purchased the comic/record for my personal collection, so my interest now is storage for the long-term.  My focus is high-grade Spider-Man comics from ASM to guest appearances, up through about 1990 and ASM 700.

V/R,

Mike 

Edited March 16, 2021 by mlovest
Add pics.

[Robot Man]

I would just leave them sealed. 

[Number 6]

It’s hard to say because there are many who are going to place a premium on factory sealed examples. In the case of the Power Record comic, I know you paid a premium for it, likely due in part to the fact that’s factory sealed. 
 

However, there are enough sealed copies with damage - some from the shrink wrap pulling increasingly tighter over time, some from the fructose syrup in the gum leaching into the book - that demonstrates that a factory sealed copy doesn’t always equate with a Near Mint to Mint copy. 
 

With the Bubble Funnies, I would think that they are inexpensive enough that you could afford to have a sealed and unsealed example. 
 

With the Power Record....all I can say is personally, if I owned it I would unseal it because 1) that’s they only way I would know if I had a first issue or not and 2) they best examples I’ve come across have always been copies that were unsealed and stored by collectors in bags and boards like comics. (BCW makes a nice poly-lined record sleeve)

But again, that’s me. I know you paid a premium for the sealed example so it’s up to you how much having it stay sealed is worth to you. 

Edited March 16, 2021 by Number 6

[mlovest]

I agree with your comments.  Yes, the Bubble Funnies was cheap, surprisingly so, but I did pay more for the sealed record.  You are right, without unsealing it, you can't know the actual condition.  And I know the Mylar will last forever, but the plastic likely degrades and may damage the contents.  I would also worry about the gum attracting critters... 

V/R, Mike

[mlovest]

29 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

I would just leave them sealed. 

Roger that...so many decisions in comics are personal!

V/R, Mike

[Qalyar]

Fundamentally, this comes down to the difference between modern collectibles handling and archival handling. The goal of the former, broadly, is to keep an object's condition as close to its original state as possible. The goal of the latter is to take whatever actions are necessary for its long-term preservation and stability.

The former counsels keeping everything sealed in its original packaging. The latter... well, shrink wrap's archival outlook is not really okay. Just the idea should have obvious problems; it's a heat-sensitive plastic film. One might expect it to continue to shrink and deform over time, and indeed it does just that. Some shrink wrap polymers also degrade or outgas in ways incompatible with long-term conservation of paper. To say nothing of the often-but-not-always pressable damage caused by the wrap seam.

I tend to take the archivist's view here because in my mind, eventually, the two positions will be forced to accept the same outcomes. Shrink wrap (and poly bags) are bad for books over time. Eventually, the copies closest to factory-production condition will be copies that have been removed from their packaging.

But these are long term problems. If you want to collect factory sealed stuff, that's fine, too, and will be for a good many years. Many other collectors will laud you for it, and, perhaps, even pay a premium for the trouble.

[Jeffro.]

8 hours ago, mlovest said:

I took off the plastic, removed and threw away the gum, and put the mini comic in Mylar with a fullback.

You should have chewed the gum 

Was the gum sealed in its own package or loose, like in an old wax pack of Topps sports cards?

[Robot Man]

If I pick up something sealed, I almost always keep it that way. Will always have more value down the road. 

I’ve got a lot of sealed record albums. They are worth much more that way. I can almost always get an opened one to play.

Some things are real hard though. I have a lot of 1960’s character model kits still factory sealed. Stuff like monsters and Rat Fink. Even though I would never build them, I would love to look inside. 

The toughest thing I ever kept sealed was a late 1950’s Marx Untouchables play set. They were originally just stapled shut on the ends. I had never seen a sealed set. This is one of the rarest play sets. Contents are very cool. Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore so I sold it for a ton of money. The guy that bought it actually opened it and sent me pictures. I literally got 4-5 times what an opened/complete one would go for. 

[marvelmaniac]

I would keep the book and record set sealed and place the sealed item in a Mylite W/Acid Free Board to protect the whole thing, that is what I did.

 

[greggy]

[greggy]

With respect to the book and record set, I have opened some in the past when the shrinkwrap was significantly warping the book but that was done in the 90s.  I haven't really opened any recently.

Not sure if I would rather own a warping sealed one or one that was clipped on its corner to relieve the pressure of the shrink wrap. 

[greggy]

6 hours ago, Jeffro. said:

You should have chewed the gum 

Was the gum sealed in its own package or loose, like in an old wax pack of Topps sports cards?

The gum appears to be sealed and put in the centerfold area of the comic.  It is not visible when sealed. 

[silverseeker]

7 hours ago, marvelmaniac said:

I would keep the book and record set sealed and place the sealed item in a Mylite W/Acid Free Board to protect the whole thing, that is what I did.

 

This is what I would do if I collected these types of items...protects them from more damage (other than that from the shrink wrap) while keeping them in the most desirable condition when it comes time to sell them.

It would take a lot of willpower not to crack out the Bubble Funnies just to chew that incredibly stale gum though... 

[catman76]

Simple, open them and read them and listen to that record. That's why I own comics and records to read and listen to them.

[mlovest]

16 hours ago, Jeffro. said:

You should have chewed the gum 

Was the gum sealed in its own package or loose, like in an old wax pack of Topps sports cards?

Loose in-between waxy pages.  For me, there is no value in having the gum continuing to degrade inside a NM mini comic.

V/R, Mike

[mlovest]

10 hours ago, greggy said:

You have some crazy cool stuff, Greg!

V/R, Mike

[mlovest]

12 hours ago, marvelmaniac said:

I would keep the book and record set sealed and place the sealed item in a Mylite W/Acid Free Board to protect the whole thing, that is what I did.

 

That Spidey puzzle is very cool!

V/R, Mike