Comics that have a musty smell - damaged? 0

[ASM-completist]

I am sure this has probably been covered so forgive me. We have all purchased comics at an estate/yard/garage/auction sale and quickly discovered that they have that old, stuffy, musty, smell about them. Does this degrade the comic and if so, by how much? I recently purchased many comics/playboys from an auction and man, they really were musty smelling. They stunk up the entire room in which I was storing them. I have sold many of them and have had no complaints. What are your thoughts? If two Hulk #1's were identical, with the exception of the smell, would they be graded differently?

[PovertyRow]

The single most telling smell. in my opinion, is not "musty" but "vinegary". A vinegar smell indicates acetic acid. Acetic acid is the stuff cast when paper begins to acidify. A bad thing. It means the book is already rather acid and, even with proper storage, will break down sooner than non-acetic acid smell books.

[ASM-completist]

A good point but won't the collector break down or decompose much sooner than said comic? Or won't the comic trade hands before the fibers of the paper actually degrade enough to be relevant?

[ASM-completist]

Not to be a jerk, but it appears as if you did not answer one of my questions. What about the grading?

[PovertyRow]

Not to be a jerk, but it appears as if you did not answer one of my questions. What about the grading?

 

I canot answer how much it degrades the comic. Truth be told, I do not believe that the sense of smell has enetered into the grading area - which, to me, is insane. But hey! Suffice it to say the very first thing I do is smell a comic (I collect mid 50's and before) and if that vinegar smell is there I put it back without any further examination.

[ASM-completist]

When posting an old, smelly comic for auction, should the stench be noted in the description? What if it came from a smoking environment and smelled smoky? Does that affect the grading and should it be revealed to the buyer?

Edited May 18, 2004 by Taste_of_H8red

[PovertyRow]

A good point but won't the collector break down or decompose much sooner than said comic? Or won't the comic trade hands before the fibers of the paper actually degrade enough to be relevant?

 

Maybe, maybe not. How long will you be collecting? How long will the book be in your hands? How old is the book? Under what storage conditions will it reside?

 

As far as trading hands goes - I have to assume you would be in possession of the book - otherwise you would not know of the acid smell. When selling it, would you mention the smell?

 

To me the acetic acid smell is as important in the factoring of condition as a color-break on the spine.

[shadroch]

I will say that when I get a package and when opened,it contains musty smelling comics, I'm pretty disappointed.

Sometimes,if you leave them out in the open,the smell goes away for the most part,but it isn't worth stinking up your house to do it.

I don't think CGC deducts for musty smell,but Overstreet deducts for the acidic smell. Check out the grading guide for details. Mine is not handy.

[PovertyRow]

I don't think CGC deducts for musty smell,but Overstreet deducts for the acidic smell. Check out the grading guide for details. Mine is not handy.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll check it out in my copy. If true it is good to ehar that smell has found a way into grading!

[Jayman]

The single most telling smell. in my opinion, is not "musty" but "vinegary". A vinegar smell indicates acetic acid. Acetic acid is the stuff cast when paper begins to acidify. A bad thing. It means the book is already rather acid and, even with proper storage, will break down sooner than non-acetic acid smell books.

 

Question: If a certain comic in your collection does have this "vinegary" smell should it be quarentined from other books even if bagged and boarded? Just wondering if this affliction could spread to other books in a long box.

 

Thanks Povertyrow, now I'm off to sniff the bouquet of my collection...not that that's a bad thing.

[PovertyRow]

Question: If a certain comic in your collection does have this "vinegary" smell should it be quarentined from other books even if bagged and boarded? Just wondering if this affliction could spread to other books in a long box.

 

I tend to err on the side of the conservative when it come to comics and movie posters so - yes - I would recommend isolating the vinegar smell books.

 

If you have some really key books I would recommend having them de-acidified by a really competent restorer. At least the degradation will be halted. Just one person's opinion.

[underthebigw]

The single most telling smell. in my opinion, is not "musty" but "vinegary". A vinegar smell indicates acetic acid. Acetic acid is the stuff cast when paper begins to acidify. A bad thing. It means the book is already rather acid and, even with proper storage, will break down sooner than non-acetic acid smell books.

 

Question: If a certain comic in your collection does have this "vinegary" smell should it be quarentined from other books even if bagged and boarded? Just wondering if this affliction could spread to other books in a long box.

 

Thanks Povertyrow, now I'm off to sniff the bouquet of my collection...not that that's a bad thing.

 

OK, at the risk of bein mocked by FD who has seen my mold phobia first hand, I'll take a shot at this.

 

The vinegar/acidic smell is no doubt a bad sign for that particular book. Personally, I always avoid such books. However, I think that's a indicator of poor paper quality and doen't pose a risk for other books.

 

Musty odors are another story. Mildew and must, in and of themselves, do not have a real smell. Instead, what you are detecting is the gaseous waste product of molds and fungi that grow in basements and other similar environments. The paper has absorbed ( or adsorbed-I forget which is the correct term) these gases and can do so through plastic, depending on how permeable it is. It does not necessarily mean the fungi is on the books themselves. However, in the case of book having a "stench" and the collection smelling up entire rooms, I would be concerned about the books and wouldn't rule out the risk that have mold on the paper that can be transferred to other books, or at least can make other books smell.

[Jayman]

Thanks silverandbronze and povertyrow for the info.

While my collection is in very good shape, I do have close to 10,000 books and there are older books mixed in with newer.The thought that there might be one culprit in the mix that could contaminate the surrounding books was a concern to me.

[Lockjaw]

Without reading the following posts on this thread, I can tell you that if you have a comic that has a pickle-like smell...you might as well toss it in the trash, even if we were talking about the first appearance of Superman.

 

I remember reading an article years ago where Sotheby's graders were talking about carefully examining high-value comics that were going to be auctioned off...and somewhere in the article it stated that the graders were hoping that they do not run into a nice comic that smells like a pickle...as that destroys the value of said comic book.

 

Enjoy The Week

Christopher H

[Timely]

Comics seem to absorb the smells around them. Joe Smejkal's Hawkeye books smelled like the mothballs he put near them.

I bought a Mile High from a guy who smoked cigars. Guess what the Mile High smelled like??!?

 

Timely~West

[Stronguy]

OK, at the risk of bein mocked by FD who has seen my mold phobia first hand, I'll take a shot at this.

 

You? A mold phobia? Never!

I heard you wouldn't even eat cheese or mushrooms for fear of transfering it to your comics.

[Mr. Zipper]

My copy of FF 2 had a strong musty smell when I first received it from the dealer, but the smell has dissipated somewhat now that it is being stored under better conditions. I suspect that it was stored in an old box in a damp cellar previously. Despite the smell, it has gorgeous bright inks and soft W/OW pages.... so go figure...

 

I was thinking of sealing it in an air tight box with a bunch of cedar blocks for about a month... perhaps the cedar will absorb the remaining musty smell and leave it cedar fresh. If I do my experiment, I will report back.

[joe_collector]

I was thinking of sealing it in an air tight box with a bunch of cedar blocks for about a month... perhaps the cedar will absorb the remaining musty smell and leave it cedar fresh. If I do my experiment, I will report back.

 

Try clay-based kitty litter.

 

Make sure the comic is protected (cardboard between it and the litter, bagged but open, and then seal it in a box with the kitty litter.

[Wally's Comics]

I was thinking of sealing it in an air tight box with a bunch of cedar blocks for about a month... perhaps the cedar will absorb the remaining musty smell and leave it cedar fresh. If I do my experiment, I will report back.

 

Try clay-based kitty litter.

 

Make sure the comic is protected (cardboard between it and the litter, bagged but open, and then seal it in a box with the kitty litter.

 

that sounds like a pretty Fresh Step to me!

 

Joe you must of been one Tidy Cat to pull that off!

[Joanna]

Put in a container with an open box of baking soda. I had a musty book once that I wanted to give as a gift (bought it on ebay) and the baking soda trick worked really well.