toploaders for slab-like presentation 1 1

[factory sealed]

So I have a full run of Bats, Supes and a ton of other random comics in GA period. One distinction that I have always admired and respected about the comics from this era is that in terms of the page count, multiple stories, overall in-hand sturdiness, larger dimensions size etc. the experience genuinely feels more "book" than say a puny modern "comic."

At best my overall hoard is mid grade and below so spending a small fortune to slab all these comics and not even land on the first couple pages of the registry is just not a viable value proposition for me at this point in time. In general having my raw comics boarded which prevents me from seeing the back cover just drives me insane and that's why the appeal of the slab, in terms of the very efficient presentation, is so appealing and hence my conundrum.

I'm specifically wondering for you more OCD folks, have you tried perhaps placing the comic in say the thickest gauge Mylar possible (maybe M4) and then mounting in a tight top loader without a board? Or more succinctly, has anyone had success in emulating the front and back cover(access) of a slabbed presentation for their respective books? 

[whomerjay]

Never heard of it or saw but seems like a good idea to me. I also see no value in slabbing books you are just going to keep, unless you like the aesthetic of the slab.

I would simply be careful to choose a Mylar that fits book tight enough but doesn’t put too much strain on weak spots (e.g., a staple about to pop or book barely hanging on staple) but also fits snug enough in top loader so book doesn’t fly out.

[Cat-Man_America]

On 8/11/2023 at 5:58 PM, factory sealed said:

So I have a full run of Bats, Supes and a ton of other random comics in GA period. One distinction that I have always admired and respected about the comics from this era is that in terms of the page count, multiple stories, overall in-hand sturdiness, larger dimensions size etc. the experience genuinely feels more "book" than say a puny modern "comic."

At best my overall hoard is mid grade and below so spending a small fortune to slab all these comics and not even land on the first couple pages of the registry is just not a viable value proposition for me at this point in time. In general having my raw comics boarded which prevents me from seeing the back cover just drives me insane and that's why the appeal of the slab, in terms of the very efficient presentation, is so appealing and hence my conundrum.

I'm specifically wondering for you more OCD folks, have you tried perhaps placing the comic in say the thickest gauge Mylar possible (maybe M4) and then mounting in a tight top loader without a board? Or more succinctly, has anyone had success in emulating the front and back cover(access) of a slabbed presentation for their respective books? 

I've occasionally used top-loaders and back boarded mylar for raw books. From my experience top-loaders add sufficient spine protection even for lightweight back-boarded mylar. I don't see any serious drawbacks to it's use under controlled conditions and the nominal weight of top-loaders is a win/win for short-box & long-box transport. I'm sure some folks have negative opinions about top-loaders generally because of vinyl plasticizers used in manufacture pose questions about their suitability for archival use, but if you're sealing books in mylar with acid free boards it should protect the pulp paper from exposure to plasticizer related age deterioration.

I wouldn't recommend using poster sized top-loaders for original art pages or other oversized collectible unless also sealed in mylar or you have it on good authority that the top-loader's plastic is archivally safe.

[Yorick]

I have a terrible time with rigid sleeves.  When I initially start to put a book into it, those sharp top edges often "grab" the comic edge (especially when there's already dog ears or other tears along the edges).  If not careful, my book gets damaged.  If I do use one, I'll first slide the comic into a "floppy" sleeve before trying to put it into a top loader.  Sometimes when I don't have the correct floppy size bag, I'll use two sheets of backing board on both faces of the comic to insert it into a top loader and then remove the backing board once it's inside.

[adamstrange]

One Midwest dealer used a clear, rigid plastic backing board in place of the standard paper.  That allowed front/read viewing without removing the book from the mylar/mylite.

[factory sealed]

On 8/12/2023 at 4:26 PM, adamstrange said:

One Midwest dealer used a clear, rigid plastic backing board in place of the standard paper.  That allowed front/read viewing without removing the book from the mylar/mylite.

Learned something new. Thanks!

[factory sealed]

[fifties]

On 8/12/2023 at 12:30 PM, Yorick said:

I have a terrible time with rigid sleeves.  When I initially start to put a book into it, those sharp top edges often "grab" the comic edge (especially when there's already dog ears or other tears along the edges).  If not careful, my book gets damaged. 

Exactly!  And after suffering that fate with more than a few books, I removed ALL of the rigid sleeves and replaced them with the standard Mylar type. 

I will admit to not understanding why the OP is so keen on having the BC visible.  After all, most of them simply contain an outside advertiser.  The idea of using a clear backing board however seems to be a good remedy. 

[factory sealed]

On 8/13/2023 at 6:47 PM, fifties said:

.....I will admit to not understanding why the OP is so keen on having the BC visible.  After all, most of them simply contain an outside advertiser.  The idea of using a clear backing board however seems to be a good remedy.....

Fair point. In the 60s, 70s, heck 80s never heard of boards, so all of our comics were treated same as magazines or books. Any OO comics I have now from these decades are absolutely hammered. 

When we would bike down to 7-11 in the 70s and slowly/carefully spin the rack around to see what new issues were out, you couldn't help but notice the back covers in the highly anticipated carousel like process of the rack turning.

We would play a game placing a bunch of comics face down and guess whether it was DC, Marvel etc. 

My uncle had stashes upon boxes and stacks of comics as part of his business would entail him traveling a large territory and picking up unsold/unwanted comics from merchants; mind you this was in the era well before they started tearing off covers so his collection is absolute off the charts. And for some reason he would store them face down, so when you crack open a case or stack etc. you'd always see the back covers first.

Long-winded way of me simply answering your question by simply saying deep rooted nostalgia and reliving moments lost in time is what drives my back cover visibility preference.