If you’re going to invest money in comic books then it stands to reason you’re going to want them to be well looked after – after all, they’ll continue to rise in value if they are. Many people make the mistake of just putting their comic book on the shelf or in a box but ideally if you’re looking at comic books as an investment rather than just a hobby, you’ll want to take steps to look after them much more!
Handling Them Correctly
One of the biggest things you should make do is that you have clean hands when you handle them. You might not realise it but our hands are covered in oil, so if you don’t wash your hands (with soap!) then this oil could transfer to the comic book paper and damage it.
If possible you should wear latex gloves when handling your comics and always lift it from the open edge at the top or the side of the comic book – you want the spine of the comic to stay as near to perfect condition as possible!
Preparing For Storage
Before you store your comic book you want to look at the best way to keep it in tip top condition before it’s stored away. One of the best things you can do is put a back board with your comic book – this will make sure it is supported. Comic books retain their value by having undamaged spines and corners – a wooden back board will help with this. Look for solid bleached sulphate wood as this is the best type of wood for keeping your comic looking great.
Storing
For storage you’ll want to place it in a plastic bag – ideally one that has been made for archival storage. Get a bag that fits your comic book without having to squeeze it in. You want the comic to be flat against the backboard and stored in the bag correctly.
You should give consideration to the room that you want to store them in – you want a dry cool room so that heat and humidity doesn’t affect the condition of your comic. You really want to make sure that they are put somewhere that they can’t get damp either – lots of people are tempted to store them in their basement, but this is often a cold, damp room and is not the best place to store comic books at all!
Organisation
It is a good idea to try and store your comic books in some sort of order too! That way if you do ever need to find one of your comic books for some reason you don’t have to worry about flicking through them all to find it, instead you can go straight to the one you need & find it without disturbing the rest of them.