Paper quality

[tb]

I meant to post this as a follow up to the "How much should interior defects count towards grade?" thread, but since that got a little washed out by page 7:

 

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The subject of paper quality, decay, and preservation is IMO one of the most neglected in the hobby. It is nice that CGC is trying to quantify page quality (it certainly is a big step forward for buyers to know whether a book has white or brown pages), but even their procedure still seems more like an art of black magic than science to me.

 

As part of educating myself on the subject, I've scanned in a set of samples from my own collection of 1930s MM Mags. You can see these at the link below. All but a couple are mid-to high grade and many are probably among the nicest in existence. Thus, it is not a representative sampling: high grade copies are extremely rare and most low grade copies have brown to brittle pages. I should add that I did not scan in a handful of my highest graded copies to avoid any risk of damaging them.

 

A few observations:

Paper quality: The paper quality varied considerably throughout the run. V1#1 was printed on oversized, thick paper stock. V1#2 was smaller size. V1#3-5 were printed on a very high quality paper that has aged much more gracefully than that used in any other issues. From late Volume 1 through V4#11, a different low quality paper was used. A large fraction of these issues have brittle pages. With V4#12 there was another format change and these latter issues seem to be on a more stable paper that shows fewer signs of wear. With V5#12, the magazine finally became a comic book and was printed on standard GA comic book paper.

 

I've noticed two main types of deterioration:

1) Uniform color change throughout each page. This is most prevalent in the latter issues, especially from V5.

2) Discoloration near the edges, spreading inwards. This most prevalent in issues from V2 through V4#11. It is interesting to observe that the gradient varies from issue to issue: some have a very steep gradient near the border while others show a gradual color change over 2 inches or so.

 

I would very much like to hear any comments that the experts might have on this. I am finding that collecting my favorite books is becoming a race against time and chemistry.

 

Paper deterioration page

 

 

 

 

 

[dad-migration]

This is a preview of a longer post (rant?), but to properly store your books they need to be totally sealed off from oxygen. Bagging and boarding obviously helps, but its not enough. Oxygen still diffuses through the bag's imperfectly-sealed opening.

 

My books are in mylar bags like everyone else. But soon I'm going to place them in metal, air-tight cans with silica gel to guard against moisture buildup.

 

[tb]

One more question:

 

I've read that one of the factors determining the rate of decay of wood pulp is the

length of the fibres: crushed, short fibres lead to a faster deterioration than long,

unbroken ones.

 

Looking at my scans, I see long fibres in the issues after V4#12 that don't seem

to be present in those from V2 up to V4#11. Could this be why V5 has aged less

than V2 through 4?

 

 

 

 

[PovertyRow]

HKP: a really interesting post! I would suggest de-acidification oif you can afford (no idea what it is going for these days but if requested in bulk you should get a discount. At least that would halt things where they are rather than being an unwilling spectator to that horrid race!

 

While I do not have the difinitive answer my assumption would be that the longer fibres would stand a better chance of longevity. It seems to make basic sense - the longer fibres may detiorate at the same rate as the shorter ones, but when a fibre is fully detiorated - well - that's that. And a short one should detiorate quicker.

 

Have to ask - for how long have you had the books and under what temp/humidity (app) have they been stored? Much fluctuation?

 

Again, a most interesting thread. (or fibre?)

[tb]

Thanks, POV.

 

I only started collecting high grade issues 4 years ago and have owned most

of these for less than 5% of their life span. The scary thing is that these copies

are among the very best; the vast majority of existing copies are in even worse

shape. Even so, I've been storing the books in my home in the center of Silicon

Valley at room temperature, which I am now realizing is vastly insufficient; one

article I read said that paper made from untreated wood pulp should be stored

below 0C/32F to last?

 

As a temporary solution, I am looking at a safe deposit company that offers

temperature and humidity controlled vaults. I suspect most of their customers

are local billionaires who keep their original Thomas Kinkades there, but I'm

ready to pay well to save my mags. Do you know if there are any companies

that offer climate control systems or temperature controlled vaults? Who could

I talk to about deacidification - I thought it was a very dangerous process?

 

Btw., aside from reading I've also done some hires scans which are kind of

interesting. The one below shows a water damaged 1940 comic book scanned

at 9600 dpi. The image is downsized; the link has the original (3,500x3,500

res).

 

 

Hires