Question on storage and mildew/mold

[spqrobert]

Hi everyone.  I've recently started selling comics on ebay in addition to the other items I have for sale.  Recently I've bought two large collections that I've been sorting through.  I have a question for anyone who's bought large collections and how you handle storing comics that might be a little mildewy and more moldy than others.

So, the first collection I bought was very well cared for, obviously kept in a dry air-conditioned room where mold growth wasn't too bad, with all the comics bagged and backboarded.  The second collection was kept in less than ideal circumstances: the comcis were all bagged and backboarded and were sealed much more air-tight than the other collection, but because of the moisture the sleeves smelled very strong and stuck together, and because of this I discarded them along with the backboards.  The comics inside the bags smell like the comics from the first collection, like comic book paper, only the smell is somewhat stronger in the ones whose sleeves and backboards I discarded, which leads me to think that what I smell is the first stage in the decay process.

Now, my problem is that I'm concerned about storing the two collections together.  What is mold exactly?  How fast does it spread?  The guy who showed me about the comic market had comics that smelled like mildew, but they still sold and his buyers didn't seem to mind too much, although he said they complained sometimes.  Even after I re-bag the comics from the second collection with new plastic sleeves, will the comics from the second collection spread their mold faster because of how they were stored before?  My plan as it stands is to air out and re-bag the comics from the second collection and incorporate them into my boxes after sealing them, but if there's realistic danger of mildew spreading even after putting them in new sleeves I'd like to know this beforehand.  I guess what I'm asking is, how likely is it that the mold from the second collection is going to harm the comics I already have?  Again, the comics that are in better condition smell *somewhat* like the comics that were stored improperly -- it's only the degree of the smell that's different.

Thank you in advance for your responses.  I've never had to deal with this issue and appreciate any advice you have to offer.

[capt.steel]

Don't think there's too much you can do to prevent mold & mildew except keep them in clean bags with clean boards in as controlled a climate as possible.

There's no way I know of to undo any deterioration done to them so far.

Older comics were made with cheap paper and it emits an acid gas as it rots - contributing to tanning of pages and the "old comics" smell.  Of course if they are stored in a hot or damp area, it can exacerbate the smell.

One thing you might try - if you can lay the comics out on a flat floor or table - then get a can of scented Lysol disinfectant spray (make sure the aerosol is a very fine mist).  

Standing a good 5 feet or so above the comics spray a mist in a sweeping motion in the air above them.  The idea is you want the mist to dissipate before it lands on the comics so that the disinfectant doesn't coagulate into moisture on the surface of the books.

Then quickly and carefully go over the covers with a tissue (on a flat surface) to make sure no moisture has accumulated on them - you can do this to the backside too.  Lay the tissue flat on the cover and "blot" them rather than wiping them.

This might help with the smell, but needs to be done very carefully - you don't want to "wet" the books in any way, just enable them to pick up a scent.

Another, safer idea - when airing the books outside their bags, place a scented dryer sheet on or between them for a while.  You can also place dryer sheets inside the boxes to help with odor.

Another thing (have no idea if this will help) is to store some desiccate packets in the front or back of a comic box if you can fit them without interfering (making marks in) the books - I'd say put some in the middle, but they'd probably bend the bottom edges of the comics - so maybe just store some in the front & back.

If you try any of these, let me know how they work out.  

Best of luck,

Capt.