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history of bags and boards?16729

Collector ProdigalSon private msg quote post Address this user
When did the first comic bags and boards come out? I've seen them ever since I went to my first comic shop in the late '80s. I remember seeing vendors at flea markets around that same time storing older books in grocery produce bags and cardboard, and larger zip lock bags. So when did the original bags and boards come out, and what was primarily used prior to that?
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Collector Rafel private msg quote post Address this user
I remember them in the mid 70's. I started in 68' and would see comic books on walls in some sort of plastic.
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I live in RI and Rhode Islanders eat chili with beans. esaravo private msg quote post Address this user
I think I started using bags around 1974 or 1975. If my memory serves me right, I think I ordered them from a dealer named Robert Bell who used to advertise in the Overstreet Price Guide. Prior to that, I didn’t store my comics in anything, I just stacked them up in piles. I also remember going to comic shows in the mid- to late 1970’s and the dealers at that time used bags, but not boards. That way you could see the back cover of the book you were thinking about buying without pulling it out of the bag.
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I'll probably wake up constipated. Pre_Coder private msg quote post Address this user
I started collecting in the mid '60s, and I can't recall any type of protection. I stashed them in my closet shelves and Xerox type boxes. But they would always slide. So I decided to store them,.. cover up, cover down, cover up, cover down. That way there was no spine-on-spine and the books remained stacked up straight.

Little did I know at that time, i was also preventing spine roll.
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Captain Corrector CaptainCanuck private msg quote post Address this user
.
I remember debating whether to “waste” my money on a bag and board, or whether to put those funds toward getting another comic.
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Suck it up, buttercup!! KatKomics private msg quote post Address this user
wow!! I wasn't born till '74 they've always just been around

I assumed before that they were made from sheep and goat gut like prophylactics!!
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Collector ProdigalSon private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by esaravo
I also remember going to comic shows in the mid- to late 1970’s and the dealers at that time used bags, but not boards. That way you could see the back cover of the book you were thinking about buying without pulling it out of the bag.


my local comic shop I grew up going to, pre-teen and teen years, they started putting the boards in the middle of the books, so you could see the back cover if it were a wrap around. me and my buddies thought it was the coolest concept, I went back, and did this with all my books at the time!!!
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would be nice to have a snugger fit. Sigur_Ros private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by ProdigalSon
Quote:
Originally Posted by esaravo
I also remember going to comic shows in the mid- to late 1970’s and the dealers at that time used bags, but not boards. That way you could see the back cover of the book you were thinking about buying without pulling it out of the bag.


my local comic shop I grew up going to, pre-teen and teen years, they started putting the boards in the middle of the books, so you could see the back cover if it were a wrap around. me and my buddies thought it was the coolest concept, I went back, and did this with all my books at the time!!!


There's a store about an hour from me that does that with their back issues. So you can see the condition of the back cover without taking it out of the bag. Doesn't offer much spine protection though.
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It was a one trick pony show but always hilarious. GAC private msg quote post Address this user
In the late 70s when I was 7 or 8, I lived in downtown Toronto. I remember going to Knob Hill Farms grocery with my parents and taking a ton of clear plastic bags from the produce section. When I got home I'd cut up every shoebox in the house I could find so I can bag and board my books.
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Collector Cerebus3000 private msg quote post Address this user
I used to think boards were a scam when I was a kid. I cut up cereal boxes for my boards. I wonder how acidic cereal box cardboard of the early 80's was.
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I live in RI and Rhode Islanders eat chili with beans. esaravo private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cerebus3000
I used to think boards were a scam when I was a kid. I cut up cereal boxes for my boards. I wonder how acidic cereal box cardboard of the early 80's was.


I remember when men’s undershirts used to come individually wrapped around a thin piece of white cardboard, so I would stock up at Christmas time (because everyone got underwear every year).
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Masculinity takes a holiday. EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user
When I first started collecting around 1982, adding a bag and board to a comic changed the cost considerably. Comics were 40 cents, bags were 5 cents and boards were another 5 to 10 cents. My brothers and I did not immediately spend our limited funds on bags and boards. By the end of the 80's comic books had gone up significantly in price and I had enough money to buy bags and boards in bulk. The ratio was so different that there was little chance I wouldn't bag and board. Just think it's kind of interesting how price inflation is very unequal across products.
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Captain Corrector CaptainCanuck private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cerebus3000
I used to think boards were a scam when I was a kid. I cut up cereal boxes for my boards. I wonder how acidic cereal box cardboard of the early 80's was.
High in sugar too.
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Ima gonna steal this and look for some occasion to use it! IronMan private msg quote post Address this user
I know that by 1969 Robert Bell was advertising in the pages of Marvel comics and was sending a sample comic book bag out with orders for his comic book check list. Attached is an example from the pages of ASM 71 - April 1969.

My younger brother and I ordered some comic books from Grand Book in NY in 1967. They did not come in comic book bags. We stored our "good stuff" in zip lock type freezer bags. I did not have an opportunity or place to buy comic book bags and boards until 1975. And even then boards were kinda pricey so not often purchased. Even the comic book store itself only put boards behind expensive books. Most of the stuff in boxes was only bagged.


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It was a one trick pony show but always hilarious. GAC private msg quote post Address this user
I also used to flatten my comics in the late 70s/early 80s. I'd put my books in the family encyclopedias, the phone book etc. and stack them with my brothers 10 pound weight plates on top....early form of pressing...no heat though obviously.
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If the viagra is working you should be well over a 9.8. xkonk private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by EbayMafia
When I first started collecting around 1982, adding a bag and board to a comic changed the cost considerably. Comics were 40 cents, bags were 5 cents and boards were another 5 to 10 cents. My brothers and I did not immediately spend our limited funds on bags and boards. By the end of the 80's comic books had gone up significantly in price and I had enough money to buy bags and boards in bulk. The ratio was so different that there was little chance I wouldn't bag and board. Just think it's kind of interesting how price inflation is very unequal across products.


If you have an artist draw on the board the ratio probably swings the other way considerably.
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