The 7 Best Comic Book Sleeves For Your Collection
Unsplash
Comic books are meant to be protected. You can’t just throw them in a box unprotected, not unless you want them to fade and disintegrate over time. That is why comic book sleeves were created.
Comic books fade and disintegrate when exposed to sunlight. Comic books are made from paper. Wood pulped paper contains lignin. Lignin is an organic substance in paper that causes it to disintegrate over time slowly. When paper products are exposed to the elements, oxygen, sunlight, heat, or humidity, lignin causes the paper to discolor and become brittle over time.
Comic book paper also slowly diffuses natural gases that make it acidic and slowly disintegrate.
Whether collecting and reading comics for pleasure or investment, you need to protect them. You must invest in comic book sleeves. They are also known as comic book bags, but “sleeve” is a more apt term.
Comic Book Sleeves 101
Unsplash
There are three kinds of comic book sleeves, polypropylene, polyethylene, and Mylar.
Polypropylene is the most common kind of comic book sleeve on the market because they are cheap. However, polypropylene comic book sleeves do not diffuse the natural gases emitted from paper. The comics stored within can fade, become discolored, or rot.
Polypropylene comic sleeves are prone to sticking on comic book paper. Or it will cause it to aesthetically ripple due to friction or the subtle emission of gases over time.
Polypropylene comic sleeves will last three to eight years before they start falling apart. And they may have damaged your comics long beforehand. Your best bet is to switch out your polypropylene comic sleeves every three to five years.
If you invest in thicker polypropylene comic book sleeves then your comic books will last longer. However, polypropylene bags offer no protection from fading damage due to sunlight exposure.
Polyethylene comic book sleeves are a step up from polypropylene. They are more resistant to sun damage but not much different. Mylar comic book sleeves are the gold standard for saving your comic books for the long term.
The U.S. Library of Congress saves its archival documents in mylar sleeves. Mylar comic book sleeve resists internal gas diffusion, and sunlight, and won’t stick to the paper. The average mylar comic book sleeve could last 150 years under optimum conditions.
BCW Re-Sealable Comic Book Bags
Unsplash
BCW’s resealable comic book bags come in 200-count packs from Amazon.
These comic book bags are made from clear polypropylene. This is the most basic kind of comic book bag that you can buy for your comic books. The empty bag itself is about two millimeters thick. This product is acid-free and is designed to preserve comic book paper for several years.
BCW Re-Sealable Comic Book Bags prominently feature a 1.5-inch resealable back flap with an adhesive strip. You can completely seal your comic book without worrying about exposing it to the elements.
You can get it for $14.50 on Amazon here.
BCW Thick Thick Comic Bags
Unsplash
BCW Thick Comic Book Sleeves are basically the same comic book bags as BCW’s basic resealable brand.
But they do come with two major differences. The plastic is a little thicker and this comic book sleeve is wider. This comic book sleeve is optimal for storing thicker comic books with more than the basic 22 to 32-page count.
It’s available on Amazon for$9.66 here.
Leffis 100 Comic Book Sleeves and Boards
Unsplash
Leffis 100 comic book sleeves and boards are great for novices who want to start collecting comic books.
Unlike the other comic book sleeve producers on this list, you get 100 comic book sleeves and 100 matching boards. Just place one board into the sleeve and then place the comic between the sleeve and the board.
Just be warned that the thicker the comic book, the less likely it will fit in the sleeve with the backing board. These sleeve and board compartments are optimal for one 32-page comic. You may be able to squeeze into two at the cost of damaging the comics in the long run.
The Leffis 100 pack retails for $24.99 on Amazon.
Big Fudge 50 Comic Book Sleeves and Boards
Unsplash
Big Fudge is one of the better-known brand names when it comes to comic book storage and protection.
These comic book sleeves are made of polypropylene and are similar to most other competing brands. But Big Fudge claims that their polypropylene sleeves are coated with a proprietary substance called “Archival Buffer” which allows them to last longer and offer more protection to your comic books.
You can get Big Fudge’s 50-pack of comic book sleeves and 50 backing boards for $23.29 at Amazon.
Comic Pro Line 100 Comic Book Bags and Boards
Unsplash
Comic Pro Line 100 comic book sleeves and boards are basically like a lot of polypropylene comic book sleeves on this list.
They are acid-free and will protect your comics. This product also offers excellent UV protection against sunlight exposure. The sleeves and the backer boards are acid-free which helps preserve the comic books much longer.
Get 100 acid-free sleeves and 100 acid-free backing boards for $22.37 at Amazon now.
EnvyPak Premium Color Coded Comic Book Sleeves
Unsplash
EnvyPak’s comic book sleeves are made of polypropylene but they are doubly as thick. EnvyPak’s 30-pack of comic book sleeves are 4.5 millimeters thick.
Your comic books will last doubly as long as the standard comic book sleeve width, two millimeters.
And they come with color-graded edges so that you can organize your comic book collection better.
You can find the EnvyPak book sleeves for $10.99 at Amazon.
BCW Silver Comic Mylar Bags
Unsplash
The biggest difference between the 50-pack BCW Silver Comic Mylar Bags and the others on this list is the fact that these sleeves are made with polyester mylar.
As long as you keep these bags in safe and safe and optimum storage spaces, the comic book should last forever. It must be noted that this product is optimal for use with Silver Age comic books.
You can find them for $25.99 on Amazon.
A Word of Caution
Unsplash
Keep your comic books out of direct sunlight when storing them.
Don’t pack comic books too tightly in a storage box either. Comic book paper, like all paper, slowly emits natural gases over time. The paper could ripple inside and against the sleeve due to friction.
Paper is made from trees. Paper is a biological product. So, over time, your comic book paper will emit gases like oxygen, carbon dioxide, and so on. Depending on the material of the comic sleeve it’s packed in, your comic book may begin to slowly disintegrate or rot.
Comic sleeves come with a sealing flap. Sometimes the top portion of the comic will come with an adhesive strip that you can use to seal the comic. Some people prefer to tuck in the flap. Or they use tape to seal the comic. If you use the adhesive strip to seal the comic, never tuck in the flap afterward. The flap may contain adhesive residue that could stick to your comic book.
As previously mentioned, polypropylene comic books are cheap. But you need to replace them every five to eight years to protect your comic books.
You should buy acid-free cardboard backing boards to offer more rigid protection for your comic books after you place them into a sleeve. Acid-free backing boards contain 3% calcium carbonate which helps suppress the acidic gases that paper emits naturally.
If you don’t mind spending a little extra, polyethylene mylar could be your best option. As long as your comic book is securely packed, it will be well protected.
Read More
Got $500? Invest in The Savage She-Hulk #1
Hidden Gems: 9 Rare Comic Books You Need to Know About
Allen Francis is a full-time writer, prolific comic book investor and author of The Casual’s Guide: Why You Should Get Into Comic Book Investing. Allen holds a BA degree from Marymount Manhattan College. Before becoming a writer Allen was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including saving and investing in your own small business.
