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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2022 7:04:43 GMT -5
A thread of likely epic proportions here...
When I was a kid growing up, the couple of local comic book shops I frequented never used tape to seal the poly bags of their back issues. I adopted the same, I found the back tab just folded neatly into the inside of the bag. Occasionally it might "pop out", but not frequently enough to ever really annoy me. I abhorred the thought of tape getting anywhere close to my books and accidently snagging one of them.
However, for an eternity now I've seen taped bags everywhere I buy from. I take the tape off immediately and store them my old school way.
Am I an outlier? Do folks here tape, or anybody else do the old "tuck in" method with bags?
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Post by badwolf on Apr 15, 2022 8:50:59 GMT -5
I always tape. The flaps would constantly pop out otherwise.
It does irritate me when shops use two pieces of tape, though, especially if they don't align it with the flap (horizontally).
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Post by Icctrombone on Apr 15, 2022 8:58:11 GMT -5
I use tape and I cut it with a scissor when I want to read it. No more tape tears for me.
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Post by Cei-U! on Apr 15, 2022 9:59:27 GMT -5
No tape, for the simple reason that I don't use bags.
Cei-U! I summon the hassle-free solution!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2022 10:04:11 GMT -5
I always tape. The flaps would constantly pop out otherwise. It does irritate me when shops use two pieces of tape, though, especially if they don't align it with the flap (horizontally). After you tuck in, if you run your fingers across the seam at the top to cinch, it actually doesn’t pop out too frequently. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2022 12:04:39 GMT -5
I always tape. The flaps would constantly pop out otherwise. It does irritate me when shops use two pieces of tape, though, especially if they don't align it with the flap (horizontally). After you tuck in, if you run your fingers across the seam at the top to cinch, it actually doesn’t pop out too frequently. But it still leaves easy access for things to crawl in, like spiders, who like to lay egg sacks inside the bag, or water dripping from a ceiling (from an apartment above who had a burst pipe or a leak in a storage unit roof)to hit that top and get inside the bag. The tab over the top with isn't perfect, but it offers a slightly better seal on the bag as a whole and prevents those types of thing a little better. I've known a lot of folks who did the fold over without tape until something like the above happened to them, and they switched. We have one dealer who does the fold over, but then he puts tape on the outside to seal the top with the flap inside. Makes it damn near impossible to get those bags open without destroying them. If you use scissors you usually end up cutting the tab as well. I usually fold over the top and use a single piece of tape now. I usually spring for the type/brand of tape that is easily removable, and when I want to get into the bag, I pop the tape open and then peel the piece of tape off completely before I slide the book out and replace it only after I have put the book back into the bag. The removing the tape is something I finally figured out about 8-10 years ago. It does usually require rebagging books I buy that come already bagged & boarded to make sure the proper tape is used, but then you have no way of knowing how old the bag is anyways and it might need replacing anyways. -M |
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Post by badwolf on Apr 15, 2022 12:12:26 GMT -5
After you tuck in, if you run your fingers across the seam at the top to cinch, it actually doesn’t pop out too frequently. But it still leaves easy access for things to crawl in, like spiders, who like to lay egg sacks inside the bag, or water dripping from a ceiling (from an apartment above who had a burst pipe or a leak in a storage unit roof)to hit that top and get inside the bag. And the air, my god the air!! |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2022 12:21:21 GMT -5
Preferably no tape. As careful as I am, I did get tape stuck on one $50 variant and I had to replace it.
Some of the savvy new bags are self-sealing, no tape required.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2022 12:28:55 GMT -5
But it still leaves easy access for things to crawl in, like spiders, who like to lay egg sacks inside the bag, or water dripping from a ceiling (from an apartment above who had a burst pipe or a leak in a storage unit roof)to hit that top and get inside the bag. And the air, my god the air!! Not worried about the air but actual real things that physically damage the contents in the bag. If you can afford a storage space that doesn't present dangers from burst pipes, leaky rooks, and arachnid and insect life, the fold down method is fine. I've found that very few places are free from such risks even if you believe they are, and I have seen several fellow collectors pay the price for their misplaced faith. Not all my books are bagged and/or bagged and boarded. Sometimes it takes me months if not years to get them in bags/boards after purchasing them. This has been especially true the last year and a half where there has been shortages on supplies (boards in particular). I prioritize getting certain books done (mostly the larger GA books with a 10 cent cover price I get that I keep a small supply of bags/boards on hand that fit them just in case I acquire one), but others sit piled on shelves and tables until I get around to sorting, organizing, bagging, and putting them away. gain I mostly bag and board because of the potential hazards presented by our old hose not because of fear of air and its effects on the books. I also find it much easier to flip through a box of bagged/boarded books when looking for something that it is otherwise. If you are worried about tape and want a fuller seal, go for the bags with the peel and stick tape strip. I dislike them (those strips are full of static cling and are near impossible for me to get off my hands once I peel them adding more time to the bagging process, but they do work to ensure no tape near the comic unless you brain cramp and lie the comic on the bag once you take it out of the bag. -M |
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Post by badwolf on Apr 15, 2022 13:06:35 GMT -5
I don't like the ones with the built-in seal either.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2022 13:09:34 GMT -5
I don't know, I've been doing the tuck-in method for 40 years and never had a problem, but I guess anything can happen.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2022 13:29:14 GMT -5
I don't know, I've been doing the tuck-in method for 40 years and never had a problem, but I guess anything can happen. A friend who did the convention circuit kept his stock in a public storage unit he rented when he wasn't doing shows. He used the flap method. Heavy spring rains, a small leak in their roof, poof three longboxes of Silver Age stuff now water damaged at best, ruined at worst because the water dripped down in a line over them, not because of a flood, so the top box in three long boxes happened to be lined up with the leak. But the worst was going through another guy I knew looking to buy books form him who also used the flap method and pulling out a really nice issue of Avengers I needed in the 40s only to find a spider had laid egg sacks inside. They had hatched, and all that was left was the remnant of the sacks, but completely skeeved me out. Of course the book that had the remnants of about 15 spider legs but no bodies might have been worse...luckily that one was a then current Image launch book that he had hundred of copies of bagged up to sit on. -M |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2022 13:37:52 GMT -5
I don't know, I've been doing the tuck-in method for 40 years and never had a problem, but I guess anything can happen. A friend who did the convention circuit kept his stock in a public storage unit he rented when he wasn't doing shows. He used the flap method. Heavy spring rains, a small leak in their roof, poof three longboxes of Silver Age stuff now water damaged at best, ruined at worst because the water dripped down in a line over them, not because of a flood, so the top box in three long boxes happened to be lined up with the leak. But the worst was going through another guy I knew looking to buy books form him who also used the flap method and pulling out a really nice issue of Avengers I needed in the 40s only to find a spider had laid egg sacks inside. They had hatched, and all that was left was the remnant of the sacks, but completely skeeved me out. Of course the book that had the remnants of about 15 spider legs but no bodies might have been worse...luckily that one was a then current Image launch book that he had hundred of copies of bagged up to sit on. -M Yeah, these sound like total horror stories. I'm a little too long in the tooth to change my ways now, but at least "I've been warned" if something ever does go wrong! I AM very strategic about placement under any area that can flood (from the top OR bottom actually). |
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Post by badwolf on Apr 15, 2022 13:54:18 GMT -5
I recently started transitioning to plastic storage boxes. Bit pricey so I am doing it in increments.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2022 13:55:04 GMT -5
@mrp (or anyone else who may have a thought on this) - One alternative I actually have contemplated for a number of years is a metal filing cabinet solution. I remember Sebastian Bach from the band Skid Row once showing his comic book collection on some show, and he had everything in these cabinets that held a good number of comics.
No doubt some fair amount of cost going this way, and less "modular flexibility" that stacking boxes gives you, but seems like that could give you the most peace of mind, plus nice access to the collection to enjoy as you want to pull issues out.
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