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Collector oginecka private msg quote post Address this user
I'm quite new to collecting comic books. Sent in 10 of my favourites for slabbing to CBCS, which I'll hopefully get back soon.

I've heard that even a slabbed comic should not be exposed to sunlight due to discoloration. Is that true? How does this affect the grade in the long term? Is it possible to have a 9.8 slabbed comic that is actually a lot lower grade now, due to the discoloration happening to it over time?
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
Yes, do not hang comics on your walls. Sunlight is the biggest enemy of toys and comic books.
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Collector ninjarobert private msg quote post Address this user
Long exposure to ultraviolet light will fade all types of ink. That's why museums with old documents and paintings are often dark and do not allow flash photography. For that reason, I would not hang comics on walls unless you have them protected from UV light with UV blocking glass/acrylic.
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
Agreed - I have UV protection on my framed original art and that's as far as I go. Everything else is inside a dark storeroom in dark boxes or storage tubs.
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Collector moodswing private msg quote post Address this user
Always thought this is a real shame about our hobby. We can't display them or if we do, that evil sun ruins them.
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I had no way of knowing that 9.8 graded copies signed by Adam Hughes weren't what you were looking for. drchaos private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by kaptainmyke
Yes, do not hang comics on your walls. Sunlight is the biggest enemy of toys and comic books.


After fire, water, acid, and ill tempered sea bass.
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
You spend decades pining over a key book...on a wall in a store.

You finally adult and make money to buy that key book...to be put on a wall in a house.


So now you can stare at the same book on a different wall. Yours.


That's what photographs are for. Just saying.
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Ima gonna steal this and look for some occasion to use it! IronMan private msg quote post Address this user
On the subject of display professionally graded and encapsulated books...

People doing such should understand that any and all light will damage paper. Light in the UV wavelengths are the most energetic and so most destructive. But all light is in the long term bad for paper. I personally keep my comic books - slabbed or not - in boxes with lids so they are always in the dark. Color photo copies of covers I like and art get framed and displayed. That is me and that is what I do. Other people are entitled to do as they want with their stuff.

But it is possible to balance displaying and safety of collectible comics. One just needs to follow the guidelines listed by places like the Library of Congress or the Northeast Document Conservation Center.


Display your books in windowless rooms or completely block the light from any windows.
Use (standard) LED lights (which emit no UV light)
Turn the lights off when no one is in the room
When the lights are on, keep the brightness of light at the lowest practical level.
And of course control the environmental conditions. This is actually easier than many might think. If you are comfortable, your books are in a safe range. If you think it's hot and humid in the room, so do your comics.
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by IronMan
On the subject of display professionally graded and encapsulated books...

People doing such should understand that any and all light will damage paper. Light in the UV wavelengths are the most energetic and so most destructive. But all light is in the long term bad for paper. I personally keep my comic books - slabbed or not - in boxes with lids so they are always in the dark. Color photo copies of covers I like and art get framed and displayed. That is me and that is what I do. Other people are entitled to do as they want with their stuff.

But it is possible to balance displaying and safety of collectible comics. One just needs to follow the guidelines listed by places like the Library of Congress or the Northeast Document Conservation Center.


Display your books in windowless rooms or completely block the light from any windows.
Use (standard) LED lights (which emit no UV light)
Turn the lights off when no one is in the room
When the lights are on, keep the brightness of light at the lowest practical level.
And of course control the environmental conditions. This is actually easier than many might think. If you are comfortable, your books are in a safe range. If you think it's hot and humid in the room, so do your comics.








I don't just give that out willy nilly you know
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by oginecka
Is it possible to have a 9.8 slabbed comic that is actually a lot lower grade now, due to the discoloration happening to it over time?



Sorry to answer your question:


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Collector Darkseid_of_town private msg quote post Address this user
I guess I don't understand then....aren't these slabbed books inside mylar sleeves? If they are then yes they are protected from any sort of light fading or ultraviolet as far as what mylar advertises.
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Collector X51 private msg quote post Address this user
As IronMan said above, all light can do damage. UV is just the worst. Heat is also really bad. Another reason not to put them in direct sunlight.
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Darkseid_of_town
I guess I don't understand then....aren't these slabbed books inside mylar sleeves? If they are then yes they are protected from any sort of light fading or ultraviolet as far as what mylar advertises.


Slabs offer zero protection against uv light or sunfading
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Collector Darkseid_of_town private msg quote post Address this user
So the inner well has no mylar sleeve essentially
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Suck it up, buttercup!! KatKomics private msg quote post Address this user
I think there are UV films you can put on your slabs, even on your windows and as others have said you can use LED lights with no UV. Everything degrades all we can do is try to mitigate it. In my neck of the woods if I placed a book in a south western facing window I would kill it in a few weeks in the summer!!


As Gerber says - mylar will not stop all UV.

Couldn't get the the link to post

E. Gerber Products, LLC. - About Preservation


All plastics and glass stop some UV light, so many advertise that their "Protector" blocks UV. The truth Is that they stop only some of the damaging rays. Even Mylar will not stop all UV. ... Yes, it costs 8 times more than standard Mylar, but it blocks UV hundreds of times more than other plastics.
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Ima gonna steal this and look for some occasion to use it! IronMan private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Darkseid_of_town
So the inner well has no mylar sleeve essentially


The inner holder is not made of Mylar. Both CBCS and CGC use PETG. Until just a few years ago CGC used Barex. Barex is no longer manufactured.

Mylar blocks most UV light below but not all. This according to DuPont, which makes Mylar.

For maximum safety and longevity of paper collectibles, limit exposure to light, control temperature and humidity to comfortable levels. If you really feel you want to display your comic books, then manage their exposure to light.
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