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Xvipah73 Posts: 357
7/30/2022
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Look in to mylar/mylites and full/half backs from egerber. It's just as safe from a "protecting the comic from aging" point of view as even slabbing, perhaps moreso. Obviously there's the hard case to consider, but it's also very much cheaper. Besides if your comics are in a situation where you need the hard case to protect them from damage, something very bad is happening anyway 
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collectibleshop Posts: 3088
7/30/2022
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Snapshot777 wrote:
That's worth looking into I appreciate the information! I have a submission kit from CGC coming and have not sent anything yet. I notice watching YouTube videos of collections (and here on CPG) many are ungraded? This brings me to my next question.. what is the best way to preserve the comics? Is the encapsulation done when graded the way to go, or maybe not? I was reading the thread on polybag damage right after I put them all in polybags on acid free backing (BCW Golden Age poly and backers). I understand the monetary value may increase, but what is best for the book? I suppose that is a whole different thread..
Thanks again for all the info!
if you're looking to sell them for the most money, get them CGC graded. And from what I track on e***, which isn't golden age stuff, I see a decently lower priced fetched for CBCS comics vs CGC, like 10-20% or more in some cases (copper/moderns), but maybe old books and keys have less of a difference. I've noticed a BIGGER difference lately, not smaller, but all depends on the book and the seller. and all pressing services can make mistakes, but the screening process should weed out stuff that has weak stapling or brittle pages that can't take pressing..
the polybag thread is about PUBLISHER polybags they do for newer comics ('80s-up) not storage type poly bags. the factory bags are thin cheap degradable bags, so best to not keep the comics in those for long term, but I've had some in their cheap polybags for YEARS and opened them to get graded and they're perfectly fine. the kind you bought are perfectly fine for short to medium term storage, and CGC tosses the bags and boards anyway, you don't get them back, so no point in buying mylars just to ship them in, EXCEPT for better protection, since they fit more snug so less sliding around inside, and are thicker and stiffer. I still send some to CGC in old mylars for just that reason, and they're not nearly as valuable as yours, so your call. For the cost of mylars vs the value of your comics, it's cheap to use mylars for the added shipping and handling protection. packing them well is key. but mylars are having supply chain probs for months from what I've read, so wastes them to send to the grading companies (not sure what they do with all of them, probably use some in-house to rebag polybag ones while stored).
and as many collectors my age have found, despite the supposed claims to the contrary, comics stored in the normal type of poly bags do not deteriorate to any noticeable degree unless you have poor storage conditions. the inert bags do not affect the comic, the comic affects the bags, making some bags get cloudy/yellow, less so with the polypropylene type (more clear ones) vs the polyethylene type. I've had silver age-up comics in polypros for decades before I changed them out, that were still fine and the bags were still clear (but wrinkly), pages are still mostly white/off white as new, or no more tanned than they were when I got them that I could tell, but some pages tan over time regardless, if it's that older newsprint stuff. it's the comic that gives off 'fumes' from the inks and paper, not the bag giving off fumes/gasses that affect the comic. this has been a raging debate for decades tho, with actual scientists arguing both for and against poly bags and whether they break down or hurt the paper, so even they can't agree. I'm sure others will debate the poly bag opinions, but not gonna get
into that argument more than this. maybe there's been more long term
research since I read what I read long ago, but since I'm selling off my
stuff, I don't care now.
A couple chemical engineers have stated that both types of poly bags are inert and don't off gas (vs deteriorate normally), contrary to what others claim. One guy said the 'cheaper' polyethyl type were less prone to degradation because they have a simpler chemical makeup vs the polypros, which have mylar added to them as I understand it (that was a while back, may be different mixture now) to keep them clear and longer lasting, but most people will prefer the polypros anyway. I use the polypros, as the polyethyl type gets cloudy over time, and aren't as clear when new as the polypros. I've read multiple conservation opinions from comic book restoration people that say it's actually better to NOT tape the flaps down, leave them open and laying across the top of the other comics in the box, as that lets the fumes breath and get released vs locking them up in the bag, and lets the paper find an equilibrium with it's acidity that will slow the degradation process. I'm going with those people. makes it a pain to paw thru your boxes tho. do NOT get the mylars with the folded top edges, those are way too easy to snag the covers when trying to hold that flap open and get the comic in or out. personal experience there.
storage conditions matter most--lower heat and humidity, in the dark or not in sunlight if displayed. if you're going to keep them for years, due to their value, then mylars with the acid free backers are the way to go for cost vs pro-grading, as they don't degrade at all, don't wrinkle, and are stiffer and keep the bottom away from the bottom edge of the bag a bit, so less chance of getting corner dings from mis-handling. you can also buy stiff 'top-loaders' and other hard cases if you want even more protection. some have UV protection for wall displays. But the graded cases will give you the most protection, and CGC uses a couple sheets of microchamber paper "which is specially designed to absorb harmful gasses to keep them from potentially deteriorating the comic." See this thread from 2019 about it: https://boards.cgccomics.com/topic/453563-microchamer-paper-good-or-bad , 4th post down quotes a CGC site article.
And by getting them graded you also get a restoration check, which helps a lot when selling later. Some CGC board members get theirs graded just for that check, and then break them out and put them in Mylars for display and storage, as there's still the debate about whether 'sealing' them in cases may hasten deterioration of the pages, but they're not 100% airtight (or waterproof) for that reason, and many by now have had 20+ years with their CGC comics and I haven't read complaints about deterioration, but haven't gone looking for those either. If you haven't read/joined the CGC forums, you should. this is a great place to start: https://boards.cgccomics.com/forum/27-comic-book-grading-and-restoration-issues/
and they have a Please Grade My Comic forum to help you determine APPROXIMATE grade so you can get an idea of graded value to put down on the CGC submission form (for tier selection, and insurance purposes while under roof and for return shipping insurance value), but grading by scans is not super accurate and there's often a wide difference of opinion, plus they'll be seeing them before pressing, so after pressing they could be well higher grade and therefore more valuable. And the value depends on the price guide/auction site being used. there's a site devoted to tracking graded comics prices (actually more than 1 now), but it costs a monthly fee, and not sure if I can post it here, but it's easy to find with a net search. CGC has a Golden Age forum too.
sorry for the novel length reply, that's how I roll.
edited by collectibleshop on 7/30/2022
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Snapshot777 Posts: 14
7/30/2022
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That is incredibly helpful collectibleshop! I live in a high humidity area and these books are from a very dry region of the country. I have them in a sealed container with moisture absorbers out of the sunlight. I feel anything that survived this long deserves preservation.
A big thanks for the information!
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Xvipah73 Posts: 357
7/31/2022
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As an aside, I don't follow eBay prices, cause I don't sell slabbed comics on eBay. On MCS (mycomicshop.com) the differences between CBCS and CGC are fairly negligible. On top of that CBCS, while still a long wait, is quicker than CGC at the lower tiers and comparable (for cheaper) at the higher tiers. So you get the slabs back quicker, or in a similar timeframe, for cheaper. Which should make up for any sales differences you might see, at least on MCS. I can't speak for comicconect or eBay (or other venues like Mercari) because, again, I don't sell slabs at any of those places.
I'm not going to follow up on any arguments about Poly v Mylar. I have my choice, you'd do well to do some research and see how you feel about it. After all, they're you're comics
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Guest
8/6/2022
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Woah, do not, DO NOT send these books directly to any grading company yourself. You need to put these into the hands of the BEST presser/cleaners available. That's #1.
Second, you have a few books here that have the potential to be the absolute finest specimens in the graded population. That Detective 98 alone could potentially be worth $30,000 if it grades out the way I think it will. You simply cannot put these books into the hands of some rube presser working for CGC or CBCS. You need an expert with golden age books who can maximize the potential you've got here. You don't appear to have keys, but when you've got high quality specimens like this, the money is just as good.
Third, if you partner with the right seller, you don't have to put up any upfront costs, which can be substantial on books like this... Again, you're going to be stuck paying a percentage of FMV... That means your detective 98 alone might cost you 1.5% of $30K if they determine that's what it's fair market value is. By the looks of it, it's easily $10K as it is. Remember that, because that's the downside to getting exceptional books like this graded. Also, when you partner with seller with some clout, they might be able to get CGC to slap a pedigree on the collection, even if it's small. A barn find of 9.0+ grade books is always great for marketing and if they're as pretty as the pictures, I'd say you've got a shot. A pedigree label would boost their value even more, in some cases, 50-100% higher!
Fourth... Don't send to CBCS. I love CBCS, but the market leader, by an ENORMOUS margin, is CGC, and the collectors who spend $50K on comic books already have the rest of their collection in CGC cases, they're also some of the most anal OCD folks you'll ever meet. Keep it in a CGC case if you want to absolutely maximize the market for your books.
I just sold off 3/4 of my $500,000 collection to a great dealer and I'm going to send him your pics so he can try and reach out. He'll know how to help you and he absolutely will not screw you over. I've also been working with ComicConnect/Metropolis Comics on some of my bigger Golden Age books like Whiz #2. They'll sell my books on the site for zero commission and will front the cost of the grading.
Congratulations, I think if you play your cards right, you're going to walk away with a bundle of cash for these!
If you've got any coverless or damaged comics that you don't know what to do with, I restore those, so let me know what's there, no matter how bad it looks.
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Snapshot777 Posts: 14
8/6/2022
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Thank you for the information!
I tried to upload a few more photos, I am getting a system error (I will try again later). The books in "My Display Case' are 300dpi scans, CPG feel free to use them if needed!
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Snapshot777 Posts: 14
8/6/2022
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Ok, I figured out a better way to resize the images from the scans. The images in My Display case look better, I have many to scan and upload still.
I am calling this "Buddies Collection", in total 90 comic books have been located. 18 are DC, 51 Dell (mostly Disney stuff), and various other publishers. Buddy was the childhood name of the collector. When his family moved in the early 50's everything was packed up and never unpacked. The second cache was located in wooden crates and seems to have more environmental damage. This Batman 15 looks like it was rolled up and stuffed in Buddies back pocket!
edited by Snapshot777 on 8/6/2022
edited by Snapshot777 on 8/6/2022
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Snapshot777 Posts: 14
8/6/2022
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Snapshot777 Posts: 14
8/6/2022
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4 in a row!
 ,  ,  , 
edited by Snapshot777 on 8/6/2022
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Snapshot777 Posts: 14
8/6/2022
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There was only the front cover of this one, the ad's alone make it cool!
 , 
edited by Snapshot777 on 8/6/2022
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agamoto Posts: 47
8/7/2022
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I'm seeing what appears to be water damage on some of these pictures. Is that the case?
I think I see one in the top right of the detective 98 and also on the batman 82-84.
Stains get absolutely hammered by CGC and technically speaking will drop the grade to a 3.5 universal (blue) label. If there is associated water damage like rippling in the pages and rusty staples with rust migrating into the pages, you're looking at otherwise beautiful books that could score as low as a 2.0. Not fun.
You definitely need to send these off to someone who isn't just a dry/cleaner and presser. Those are a dime a dozen. You need someone who can reverse the water damage and remove those water stains using undetectable means. Water stains that are fairly light I've seen hit a book down to 5.5, but if it's a stain that's bigger than a quarter, on the cover, through the book... You're going to get hammered on it.
CGC/CBCS' pressing divisions, and most independent pressers for that matter, will not do any form of aqueous cleaning, which is necessary to get those stains out but can easily lead to a purple restored label and you do NOT want that. Actually, I think CGC is able to do it in their restoration division, but if they do it, they'll assign in a conserved grade which knocks the value down a bit. It's also expensive and it takes them a long time to do.
You definitely do not want to pour money down the drain sending these off to CGC to get a low grade slapped on them. Waste of time and money. Fix'em first, then send them in, or sell them raw in their present condition.
Did you come across any other remnants? covers only, coverless? single pages?
Is that only the front cover from Action 31 or is it the front and back? I actually need that front cover for a coverless Action 31 I have. With that cover, I can recreate the missing parts and submit it for a "conserved" grade. I'll pay $60 for it if it's just the front cover, $100 if the back cover is there too.
You should post all your pics to a social media account, google/icloud album, etc. and then share that album so we can see the highest quality pics possible.
The Batman 15, assuming the back is about the same as the front, has all it's pages, no cut outs, no major stains or rusty staples, with both staples still attached to the cover, falls into the 3.0+ range. Closest sale to that grade was $1400 for a 3.0 restored copy a few weeks ago. FYI.
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