How long will GA books last?

[gasa]

I was thinking about the longevity of our hobby. Wanted you guys' feedback on the aging potentials of the garden variety GA book: let's say midgrade, average paper, maybe some resto, etc., but properly stored nowadays, for the last few years. How long before they turn to books nobody would want: brittle pages, falling apart, etc.? Are we talking millenia, centuries, 50 more years, 10 more years?

[Paratrooper]

Longer than I'll be alive, after that who cares as I'll have sold the collection before I die and buy all the hookers I can till my dying day.

[nearmint]

I have a few newspapers from 1800 that seem to be holding up just fine. Under proper storage conditions, I don't know why comics wouldn't last a very long time.

[seank]

The way my GA books are stored, they'll last longer than me. Once I'm dead, I won't care and my wife will only be interested in their cash potential.

[Ivanko]

You know, there was a guy on ebay who froze his books...

[Aman619]

Im sur ethere are studies about the life of newsprint under various storage conditions., From what I remember, 150-250 years ought to be possible for the "pretty good" preservation techniques. Longer and shorter resoectively for Museum archiving and damp basement conditions.

 

Some are already brittle, while others, newpapers, pulps and early GA comics are as good as new after 70-150 years

[skybolt]

Im sur ethere are studies about the life of newsprint under various storage conditions., From what I remember, 150-250 years ought to be possible for the "pretty good" preservation techniques. Longer and shorter resoectively for Museum archiving and damp basement conditions.

 

Some are already brittle, while others, newpapers, pulps and early GA comics are as good as new after 70-150 years

 

That seems about right. By then if vintage comics are still a collectable, I'm sure that paper restoration techniques would be more advanced and more widely accepted by the collecting community.

[Gary Dunaier-migration]

I have a few newspapers from 1800 that seem to be holding up just fine. Under proper storage conditions, I don't know why comics wouldn't last a very long time.

If my understanding is correct, newspapers from 1800 were printed on a better quality paper than the cheap newsprint today's papers use, so if that indeed is the case, there's no comparison.

[hockey&comicsguy]

I was thinking about the longevity of our hobby. Wanted you guys' feedback on the aging potentials of the garden variety GA book: let's say midgrade, average paper, maybe some resto, etc., but properly stored nowadays, for the last few years. How long before they turn to books nobody would want: brittle pages, falling apart, etc.? Are we talking millenia, centuries, 50 more years, 10 more years?

 

Since I just got into GA books I sure as hell hope they last me a lifetime. Boy would that suck if they didn't.

 

Seeing as I have 2 small girls and they have no interest in comics (now anyway) nor do I see them becoming the next Blair Butler of G4 i'm guessing that if they last me another 40 years i'll end up in my 70's wondering what the hell to do with them and probably in a spit of alzheimers decide that these weird pieces of paper are stalking me and need to be put into the trash immediately.

[nearmint]

I have a few newspapers from 1800 that seem to be holding up just fine. Under proper storage conditions, I don't know why comics wouldn't last a very long time.

If my understanding is correct, newspapers from 1800 were printed on a better quality paper than the cheap newsprint today's papers use, so if that indeed is the case, there's no comparison.

 

True, newspapers prior to the mid 19th century were made of cotton rag fiber, not newsprint.

And yet, under proper storage conditions, I still believe comics will hold up for a very long time. Excessive moisture causes the production of acids that weaken the paper. Excessive heat or dryness contributes to brittleness. But, find the happy medium between the two, and there's no reason to think your comics will turn to dust.

[The Black Hand ®]

Buy only comics with white pages and store them correctly. Myself, I'm switching to small to midsize bronze statuary, storage is not an issue.