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Storage for Slabbed Books - Plastic or Cardboard??
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23 posts in this topic

Hello, fellow collectors. I typically store my slabbed books in the larger CGC/magazine-sized cardboard boxes. The smaller CGC boxes will not accommodate my slabs since they are all kept in large Mylites for extra protection from dust and scratches. 

 

Some people have recommended the BCW "acid-free" plastic boxes for slabs. I was wondering if these can accommodate a slab that is stored in a Mylite?

 

Also, in general I am wondering how people feel about these plastic storage boxes vs. the traditional cardboard storage boxes?  

 

Thanks!

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I consider acid free boxes overkill. My books are stored in Mylar with acid free full backs or half backs plus some slabs. Whatever off-gassing my regular cardboard storage boxes do is minimal and not a concern. Countless collections have lasted decades in cardboard boxes and I'll be gone or my funnybooks will before the comics disintegrate.

Edited by Dick Pontoon
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In August I bought another 5 cardboard CGC size boxes for $40 shipped on Amazon.

They are still $40 delivered for the lot of 5.  Lately I find myself buying bags and boards from Amazon as well. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M213QU4/

 

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I only use cardboard boxes for all my comics, magazines, and CGC cases. In the comic book store I work at we use the black plastic long boxes and we all hate them. The ones we have were as thick as a standard cardboard long box but they have started to warp. When you pick them up they also bend in the middle of the box. I know BCW makes a thicker short box and long box and those seem like better quality but are very expensive if you have a large collection you want to swap over. 

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I got myself a few of the BCW plastic boxes, mostly as I've been trying to trim my collection right down by selling off a bunch of stuff so I only have a few boxes to keep. I like the look of them in the room more than having the carboard boxes that generally had to live out of the way.

One of the boxes is the CGC size and they sit fairly snug, I'm not sure what size the mylites are for slabs but would probably be a tight fit.

I've nothing against the traditional cardboard box, my collection has lived in short and long boxes for a long time with no problems, it's purely an aesthetic thing for me to reduce down to a few BCW boxes.

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I would go with BCWs Short Comic Book BINS. I transitioned all my books over, they're super high quality and really sturdy. If you're trying to accommodate for the mylites it should be more than enough room in the CGC size bin. They have really nice solid plastic dividers that are adjustable and stay in place and they have locking lids. I know they're like $25/bin (they're actually cheaper than the corrugated plastics boxes though), but if you're putting high value slabs in it's worth it to buy a high value storage solution. Here's what they look like:

image.thumb.png.f4bed89bc79c814fcc4ff30da778e033.png

Edited by AJLewandoski
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The OP question was specific to slabbed books and the answer is it doesn't matter if the storage box is cardboard or plastic.  The encapsulated books are in two (maybe 3 with an outer plastic bag) layers of plastic. The outer shelf is pretty thick and the inner holder is archival quality plastic that is well sealed.  Your cardboard box's acid content won't be a problem. 

As for raw comics, they make buffered collector boxes. If your books are stored in regular bags and boards you could question if acid migration from cardboard boxes is a problem and these buffered acid free boxes make sense.  But if your books are stored in regular bags and boards you should actually change them out periodically anyway.  Maybe ever 4-6 years. If stored in Mylar once again you have an extremely effective barrier. 

The larger environment is more important to the preservation of paper collectibles. A consistent, comfortable temperature and humidity (that is, a heated and cooled room in your house) and limiting exposure to light will do far more in preserving your books - slabbed or raw - than if boxes are made out of carboard or plastic. 

 

image.jpeg

Edited by Tony S
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I’ve been using the plastic, stackable bcw boxes for about a year now for both graded and raw books. I don’t have to worry about a corner getting dinged or something getting caught on the cardboard and tearing a chunk off. I can also wipe them down with a swiffer to keep the dust off of them. Cardboard looks horrible when they get stained. Yeah, I’m a “neat freak”. image.jpeg.573afc9996d766a5fffb9d8809c37034.jpeg

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On 1/13/2021 at 7:31 AM, Pontoon said:

I consider acid free boxes overkill. My books are stored in Mylar with acid free full backs or half backs plus some slabs. Whatever off-gassing my regular cardboard storage boxes do is minimal and not a concern. Countless collections have lasted decades in cardboard boxes and I'll be gone or my funnybooks will before the comics disintegrate.

In regards to my raw comics, I use Gerber Mylites and Gerber backboards, and those puppies go inside of a Gerber acid-free shortbox :)  Yes, that is probably overkill, but I figure it's worth the few extra bucks to protect 100 or so comics just in case.

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On 1/13/2021 at 8:56 PM, AJLewandoski said:

I would go with BCWs Short Comic Book BINS. I transitioned all my books over, they're super high quality and really sturdy. If you're trying to accommodate for the mylites it should be more than enough room in the CGC size bin. They have really nice solid plastic dividers that are adjustable and stay in place and they have locking lids. I know they're like $25/bin (they're actually cheaper than the corrugated plastics boxes though), but if you're putting high value slabs in it's worth it to buy a high value storage solution. Here's what they look like:

image.thumb.png.f4bed89bc79c814fcc4ff30da778e033.png

Sorry, I am not knowledgeable in these. This bin is what I was referring to in my original post when I stated "plastic boxes". For the people who own this type, are they at all flimsy as some people stated about other plastic boxes? If anyone else owns this type, do you think there is a little bit of room to accommodate slabs that are inside Mylites? 

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2 hours ago, thewritestuff said:

Sorry, I am not knowledgeable in these. This bin is what I was referring to in my original post when I stated "plastic boxes". For the people who own this type, are they at all flimsy as some people stated about other plastic boxes? If anyone else owns this type, do you think there is a little bit of room to accommodate slabs that are inside Mylites? 

Yeah this is the BCW box/bin that I purchased for my slabs. I find it very sturdy and a nice looking storage box.

There is about a quarter of an inch gap either side of a slab when it sits inside but I've not got mylites on them so not sure if that would be enough room for you.

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I use the BCW bins as well, for both raws and slabs. They are sturdy, handsome, have interlocking dividers to keep comics from falling or sliding around, and the tops can be sealed shut by deadbolt style sliders, which is helpful when you have little kids who don't think twice about grabbing a stack of comics and whipping them down a flight of stairs. 

Some of my slabs are in mylar and they fit fine. 

Boy, for my money, it just doesn't get any better than BCW bins. 

20210115_074315.jpg

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2 hours ago, Ryan. said:

I use the BCW bins as well, for both raws and slabs. They are sturdy, handsome, have interlocking dividers to keep comics from falling or sliding around, and the tops can be sealed shut by deadbolt style sliders, which is helpful when you have little kids who don't think twice about grabbing a stack of comics and whipping them down a flight of stairs. 

Some of my slabs are in mylar and they fit fine. 

Boy, for my money, it just doesn't get any better than BCW bins. 

20210115_074315.jpg

Sounds good. Thanks for the update on the Mylars. That definitely helps!

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On 1/13/2021 at 5:56 PM, AJLewandoski said:

I would go with BCWs Short Comic Book BINS. I transitioned all my books over, they're super high quality and really sturdy. If you're trying to accommodate for the mylites it should be more than enough room in the CGC size bin. They have really nice solid plastic dividers that are adjustable and stay in place and they have locking lids. I know they're like $25/bin (they're actually cheaper than the corrugated plastics boxes though), but if you're putting high value slabs in it's worth it to buy a high value storage solution. Here's what they look like:

image.thumb.png.f4bed89bc79c814fcc4ff30da778e033.png

How many slabs do these hold?

 

I’m not overly enamored with the look of these, but I’m also tired of replacing white boxes that get beat-up and dusty looking. 

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5 hours ago, Number 6 said:

How many slabs do these hold?

 

I’m not overly enamored with the look of these, but I’m also tired of replacing white boxes that get beat-up and dusty looking. 

I only have 4 slabbed books, so I couldn't tell you exactly, the rest of mine is full of magazine size books. The interior size is half an inch shorter than a normal cardboard short CGC size box, so whatever you could fit in a regular box before should still fit in these.

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6 hours ago, thewritestuff said:

Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond. I am going to test out the BCW bin. Now I wonder if anyone has tried storing them sideways so the books lie flat🤷‍♂️

Christopher Walken | Batman Wiki | Fandom

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