Top loading mylars....

So does anyone else out there think that the mylar comic bags with the open tops are dumb? One of the reasons of putting a comic away in a bag is to protect it from the air. This design leaves the top half of the comics vulnerable to air or whatever. So I have been putting my valuable comics in a standard bag and board, then putting that in the mylar bag. I would appreciate anyone elses idea's on how to to deal with the problem of the open top mylars. I thought about taping the tops of the bags closed, but decided the comics could get stuck in the tape.

I would't use the open top mylars, I'd get the ones with the flaps. I don't want my books tanning at the top.

Whenever a comic I buy comes in a top loader, I put the comic in a sealable bag. Then I stuck labels on the top and make them dividers for my boxes. Being taller they work well and I don't really think they are worth using for anything else. One thing you can do is get good butcher wrap and use it to seal the bag. The plastic will adhere to itself and the loader without damaging the comic like tape can.

So I came up with a great idea... I trimed down one side of the top flap, and folded it over like a regular poly-bag. Then press firmly along the fold to create a indented crease, and tape down. Works great, and now I don't have to worry about the top half of my comics getting damaged!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 10-14-2008 18:30:37

paglinitattoo wrote:So does anyone else out there think that the mylar comic bags with the open tops are dumb?

For long-term storage, yes. These should only be used by dealers when for stock they are actively selling (and therefore need to easily get in and out of the back at shows, etc.). I have personally seen high-end collections that sat in open-top mylars for 20 years, and the top 1-2 inches on all the books were tanning!

paglinitattoo wrote:One of the reasons of putting a comic away in a bag is to protect it from the air. This design leaves the top half of the comics vulnerable to air or whatever. So I have been putting my valuable comics in a standard bag and board, then putting that in the mylar bag. I would appreciate anyone elses idea's on how to to deal with the problem of the open top mylars. I thought about taping the tops of the bags closed, but decided the comics could get stuck in the tape.

You are close here, but you can do better. Two suggestions: 1. Your inner bag needs to be archival quality as well. Spend the extra 10 cents, when warranted of course, and use a mylite (1 mil is fine) instead of a polyprope or polyethylene bag. 2. For the outer bag, they actually make flapped mylars. I use these myself - I get mine from dealer Jef Hinds.

My method for books I plan to keep quite awhile: 1. put the book in a 1-mil mylite. 2. put an oversized board behind that (e.g. put a golden age board behind the silver-age mylite). 3. put that whole thing in the flapped mylar. Best solution IMO.