This is the How-To guide on Caring for Your Comics, presented by Heritage Auctions: Welcome to Heritage's Comic & Comic Art Department Heritage made national news again in 2010 by setting a new auction record for a comic book when a copy of Detective Comics #27 sold for $1.075 million. Heritage has been the exclusive auctioneer of a number of private archives, including The Nicolas Cage Collection, which anchored a $5.2 million auction in 2002, and the $1.8 million Davis Crippen Collection. Heritage has been chosen as auctioneer by Stan Lee, Joe Kubert, and other artists and writers, as well as institutions such as Mad Magazine, Playboy, and Random House.

1. Caring for Your Comics
Caring for Your Comics
Your comic book is a piece of Americana and should be treated with care. From Superman
battling Hitler and Hirohito to Spider-Man taking on serious drug issues, comic books are a
snapshot of both American and world history and culture. They are also delicate pieces of paper
ephemera, and, as such, demand a certain degree of special handling and treatment.
Taking care of your comic books is not hard, but it does require some effort and dedication. The
three major destabilizing and destructive elements associated with these paper products are:
Direct Sunlight — Always keep your comics out of direct sunlight, as these UV rays
will fade the printing inks used in their manufacture. When storing your comics make
sure to always use acid free bags and boards.
Moisture — Always try to keep your comic books free from any contact with water or
moisture such as extreme humidity. Moisture will not only stain and mildew your comic
book, but it will also deteriorate the elements used in its manufacture.
Heat — Always avoid storing or displaying comic books in overly hot environments, as
these elements will make the paper fibers brittle and will darken them making the comic
book's pages brown in the process.
In caring for your comics, there are various handling and storage techniques that should be used.
An overall note: while it's not necessary to wear protective gloves when handling your comics,
care should be taken whenever your comics are out of their protective environment. Creases,
folds, bends, tears, etc., can have an adverse effect on the comic's value, and should be avoided
at all costs.
Bag and board — One of the key elements of keeping a comic book in its current
condition is to bag and board it. Bags and backing boards can be purchased at a local
comic book store. The best bags and boards for comic book storage will be acid free.
Do not tape — Do not put any tape on the bag storing the comic book. The main reason
for this is that when removing the comic book it could catch on the tape and potentially
damage it.
Change bags and boards — It is recommended to change bags and boards every two to
three years.
CGC grading and encapsulation — For more valuable comics, Comics Guaranty, LLC
offers a grading and encapsulation service, where they will render a third party opinion

2. about the condition of your comic book and encapsulate it in a hard plastic holder.
Heritage members get a 10% discount on all CGC grading services.
Heritage Auctions, headed by Steve Ivy, Jim Halperin and Greg Rohan, is the world’s third largest auction
house, with annual sales more than $750 million, and 600,000+ online bidder members. For more
information about Heritage Auctions, and to join and gain access to a complete record of prices realized,
along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit HA.com.
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