I finally stopped defending my old comic book collection setup

I used to keep all my single issues in those cheap long boxes from the local shop, stacked sideways in a closet. Thought it was fine for like 15 years until I moved last summer and realized the bottom boxes had warped from the weight. Now I bag and board everything, store them upright in proper short boxes with dividers, and keep them in a climate controlled room. Cost me about $80 to switch over but my Amazing Spider-Man run from the 80s is finally safe. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way after losing a few issues?

3 comments

3 Comments

daniel1401mo ago

That bit about stacking records flat is actually not quite the same thing. Records are vinyl and warp from heat and pressure, but comics in long boxes get damaged from the cardboard sagging under weight over time. The real problem with collecting is more about moisture and humidity than just stacking, which is why climate control matters way more than people realize.

rose_reed1mo ago

Yeah the warped box thing is a bummer. It's like when people stack records flat and then wonder why they sound all crackly later. I noticed people do this with a lot of stuff in everyday life. They cram too many books on a shelf until it bows or pile plates too high in the cabinet thinking it'll hold. We just assume stuff can take the weight until it can't. Good call on switching to the short boxes. That $80 is cheap insurance compared to losing a key issue.

bennett.evan1mo ago

Wait, people actually think climate control matters more than the physical box sagging? That's wild to me. I've seen boxes snap in half from weight alone in perfectly dry rooms. Humidity is bad but gravity is doing the real damage here.