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COLLECTOR JLS_Comics private msg quote post Address this user
I have some incomplete short boxes too. In those I rotate about 15-20 books sideways so it creates somewhat of a bookend until the box fills up more. (I'm not implying anyone is wrong; just sharing another tactic to employ)
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Collector thelastbard private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by shrewbeer
Quote:
Originally Posted by J_Walker
Thanks all. Good info all around.

For the record, these would be stacks of ~30 books with each book in a mylite2 & fullback combo and alternating the spines.


Aside from possibly falling off the shelves, I dont see anything wrong with stacks of 30. If anything, the books are better off with some pressure as @TommyJasmin pointed out.

All my books are in horizontal shortboxes, except the incomplete boxes. Those are flipped on end, and the books are stacked vertical until the box fills up!


If I have incomplete boxes, I just put something else in there to fill it up until more books are in there (trades or whatever)...

Stacking... I do stack some as an interim before going into boxes (sorting, just pulled out, waiting for more boxes to deliver, whatever), but for 30+ years of collecting, I haven't done it for longer than necessary.

As mentioned, large stacks or "squish" tactics, can help preserve, but my concern with doing that in boxes are those pesky hand holds. Even when I pack loosely (I rarely pack them "right", I'm just in the habit of lifting them from underneath. There's a reason I don't let people move them for me when I re-locate.
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COLLECTOR shrewbeer private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by thelastbard
"squish" tactics


It should be noted that heavy cardstock covers from the last decade do not seem to hold up well to pressure. Flashpoint, Metal, that kind of cover. Lots of vertical spine splits on brand new books, I have
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Collector thelastbard private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by shrewbeer
Quote:
Originally Posted by thelastbard
"squish" tactics


It should be noted that heavy cardstock covers from the last decade do not seem to hold up well to pressure. Flashpoint, Metal, that kind of cover. Lots of vertical spine splits on brand new books, I have


It gets hard to find decent ones from the time you get them from the store, but that could even be from handling. Spines look fine, but the staples are "punched" in from printing or handling... can't say for sure.
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COLLECTOR shrewbeer private msg quote post Address this user
My flashpoints are the worst. Full 1/4" splits in some places, on unread unmolested books. White color break from bottom to top of spine.

Metal just as an example; too new to tell what would happen to them, its just the same type of card paper.
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Collector thelastbard private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by shrewbeer
My flashpoints are the worst. Full 1/4" splits in some places, on unread unmolested books. White color break from bottom to top of spine.

Metal just as an example; too new to tell what would happen to them, its just the same type of card paper.


That's IT, I'm never buying DC again!

Sensationalist enough of a reply?

Certainly a concern, though... Large page count + fancy cover = problems problems problems!
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Collector J_Walker private msg quote post Address this user
My thought of stacking them is primarily space related. But I'll admit, I'm slightly OCD in the number of times I rearrange my short boxes. And I'm sure I've damaged a book or two with the number of times I rearrange each box. For some reason the stacks just seem neater and safer but I don't really know the long-term effects. Digressing here, but I just recently rearranged all boxes a couple weeks ago since I had previously put every other book facing the opposite direction. Book 1 & 2 in the box had the comic cover facing each other, books 2 & 3 had the backing boards against each other, so on and so forth.

Kept it like that for a month, but then realized that although I used all silver age bags and boards that the comics themselves weren't the same size. So if book 1 was a golden / silver age book and book 2 was a modern, then I'd have a problem in a tightly packed box since the pressure of the modern book pressed against the cover of the larger golden / silver age book could cause damage.

So now I have them all facing one direction but every other book is upside down. This also does a great job keeping all books in the box aligned properly. But now I'm worried there's not enough protection on the downward facing books. My reasoning is there seems to be less protection on a mylar bag at the top of the bag vs. the bottom. See pic below. The bottom is similar to the sides in that it has some added rigidity / protection. But the top of the book is just the flap. So, for these downward facing books, I'm thinking that over time, the gravity will shift the book inside the bag down where the top edge of the book will push into the flap / bottom of the box causing damage to the top edge.

Hopefully one of you will tell me I'm crazy and that this method of "every other book facing down" is safe.

Also, good points from the recent posts. The books in my "stack" are all moderns with the type of card stock cover you're referring to.


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Collector thelastbard private msg quote post Address this user
@J_Walker I think as long as your "fold" is good with the upside-down comics, you're golden... Sounds like you're pretty meticulous, so I wouldn't worry about it.
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Collector TommyJasmin private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by shrewbeer
Quote:
Originally Posted by thelastbard
"squish" tactics


It should be noted that heavy cardstock covers from the last decade do not seem to hold up well to pressure. Flashpoint, Metal, that kind of cover. Lots of vertical spine splits on brand new books, I have


Once again I stand corrected - I can say I've now heard of an actual case where books were damaged by pressure. Why is it always @shrewbeer I learn something new from though?

If you think about though, it makes sense that, as @comicsforme inferred, the quality of materials used in each era, and type of comic, will be a big factor in how they hold up.

Interestingly, the storage method shrewbeer described is exactly what I do (short boxes with "current" box tipped so air is pressed out as the box fills). As for how each book is bagged/boarded, that's a long story but it boils down to how nice and how valuable the book is. The best books get royal treatment - an acid free preservation sheet at the centerfold, mylite and buffered backer, then all that goes with a bigger non-buffer backing board and inside a flapped mylar. Yeah, that's not cheap but I could never afford many books that warrant that level of care.
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Collector thelastbard private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by TommyJasmin
Quote:
Originally Posted by shrewbeer
Quote:
Originally Posted by thelastbard
"squish" tactics


It should be noted that heavy cardstock covers from the last decade do not seem to hold up well to pressure. Flashpoint, Metal, that kind of cover. Lots of vertical spine splits on brand new books, I have


Once again I stand corrected - I can say I've now heard of an actual case where books were damaged by pressure. Why is it always @shrewbeer I learn something new from though?

If you think about though, it makes sense that, as @comicsforme inferred, the quality of materials used in each era, and type of comic, will be a big factor in how they hold up.

Interestingly, the storage method shrewbeer described is exactly what I do (short boxes with "current" box tipped so air is pressed out as the box fills). As for how each book is bagged/boarded, that's a long story but it boils down to how nice and how valuable the book is. The best books get royal treatment - an acid free preservation sheet at the centerfold, mylite and buffered backer, then all that goes with a bigger non-buffer backing board and inside a flapped mylar. Yeah, that's not cheap but I could never afford many books that warrant that level of care.


It's only my books from AFTER my first few years of collecting which hit 9.6 and up... unless I'm lucky! But, fortunately that means I have late 80's and up in that condition, plus older books I back-filled along the way. Unfortunately, when I was backfilling in some cases, I cared less about condition, more about the backfill, so more 8.5 and up, less 9.6 and up.

Hell, centerfold, mylite and buffer, etc etc... the only books I have with that level of care would be things shipped to me that way or encapsulated. Not because I don't care, but because my collection is too big, and I want to spend my money on more books.

When I start backfilling and preserving more, I'll lean toward a combination of more encapsulation and swapping out the types of bags, boards, etc...
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COLLECTOR shrewbeer private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by TommyJasmin
I can say I've now heard of an actual case where books were damaged by pressure.

I was pretty shocked when I pulled them out actually. Unless I hadn't put them in there myself mint, I would never have believed it.

You're right about the Church stuff though. GA Paper loves pressure.
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Collector Lonestar private msg quote post Address this user


Every time I see the title of this thread, this is all I can think off.
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Collector thelastbard private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lonestar


Every time I see the title of this thread, this is all I can think off.


I think about why you need proper shelving for records and also need to make sure you don't overburden those shelves.... AAAAHHHHHH!!!!

It hurts me a little inside seeing that... and poorly stored comics in the modern day. Aged comics, too, but worse when modern collectors do it.








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Collector X51 private msg quote post Address this user
Shelves are bad based upon the evidence above.
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Collector thelastbard private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by X51
Shelves are bad based upon the evidence above.


Yeah, for records, boxes are good, but if you want to listen to them regularly and have easy access, shelves are nice. My collection isn't so huge (less than 500 LP's) that I'll have an issue (unlike my comics)... I have plenty of boxes as back-up, though.
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Collector Savage_Spawn private msg quote post Address this user
Interesting discussion. I've always heard that if you do store them stacked you should alternate spines every 10 comics or so. It's what I've always done. Bad idea?
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I live in RI and Rhode Islanders eat chili with beans. esaravo private msg quote post Address this user
I have stored comics back to back and front to front so that the spines alternate for over 30 years in long boxes without any problems.
Post 42 IP   flag post
Collector Savage_Spawn private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by esaravo
I have stored comics back to back and front to front so that the spines alternate for over 30 years in long boxes without any problems.


Same here, I opened a couple this past weekend and they are all flat.
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I'm a #2. BigRedOne1944 private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Savage_Spawn
Quote:
Originally Posted by esaravo
I have stored comics back to back and front to front so that the spines alternate for over 30 years in long boxes without any problems.


Same here, I opened a couple this past weekend and they are all flat.


Same here as well. The problem I have with stacking books to high, is that its almost impossible to keep the spines and book edges aligned through out the stack. If the lower books shift or get out of alignment the pressure can create spine roll or an impression along the spine where the stack is out of alignment.
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