The time a collector at a con in Denver schooled me on bag boards

I was at Denver Comic Con last year, browsing through a long box, and this older guy next to me pointed out my Modern Age books were in bags that were way too tight. He told me to use half back boards for anything after 1992 or the spine gets creased from pressure. Has anyone else gotten random tips from strangers at shows that actually made sense?

3 comments

3 Comments

xena_bailey181mo ago

Man, that half back board tip is legit. I used to just grab whatever boards were cheapest and cram them in there, and I definitely had some books get that spine roll. The old timers at cons usually know what they're talking about because they've been doing this since before poly bags were even a thing. I switched to half backs for anything copper age and newer and it made a huge difference, especially for those flimsier covers. It's one of those little things that sounds like overkill but actually saves you from having to downgrade a book's grade later.

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keith_bennett1mo ago

I feel that pain, I've definitely ruined a few books before I learned better.

shanef341mo ago

Has anyone tried backing those thin modern variant covers with an old beat up common book board instead of a fresh half back? Seems like you get the stiffness without wasting good supplies.