Showerthought: Used to store my comic books in plastic bags with cardboard backs, now I do full archival Mylar and acid-free boards

Back in 2018 I had like 200 issues just sitting in standard bag-and-board combos from my LCS. Last month I switched to Mylites 2 and half-back boards from BCW after a buddy told me the old poly bags break down over 10-15 years. The cost is way higher, about $1.50 per book instead of $0.40, but I feel like I'm actually protecting them now. Does anyone else think the extra expense is worth it for long term storage, or am I just being paranoid?

3 comments

3 Comments

casey6824d ago

Yeah I remember seeing a forum post from some guy who worked at a comic shop for like 20 years and he said the exact same thing about poly bags. He claimed he opened a sealed longbox from 1995 and the bags had turned yellow and brittle, plus the acid from the cardboard backs had started to seep through and stain the comics. That stuck with me. So I get where you're coming from with the switch. I haven't done it yet for my whole collection but I've started buying Mylites for my keys and more valuable runs. The price jump sucks but not as much as finding a book you thought was mint is now all wavy and discolored from cheap storage. Better safe than sorry I guess.

joel_martinez4d ago

Honestly saw a video from a preservation guy who said the poly bags have acids that actually damage comics over time. That convinced me to switch even though it stings the wallet a bit now. Tbh the peace of mind is worth it.

wendysanchez4d ago

@joel_martinez I read the same thing about the acid leaching out of polypropylene bags.