Registered: 05/30/02
Posts: 7560
Loc: Shakedown Street
It has come to CGC’s attention that certain safes may be harmful to comic books.
Over a year ago, CGC received a call from a collector stating that he had some books with rust growing on staples of a few comics. There had been no rust when he last saw the books. We asked that the owner send the books to CGC for inspection. When the books came in, we were very surprised to see extremely rusty staples that had not been rusted a few years prior. After a long investigation and with the help of the collector, we learned that rust could have developed because of the chemical compound used to make his safe fireproof or fire resistant. But because information was limited, at that time, we suspected that heavy moisture in the room where the safe was located contributed to the poor storage conditions for these books, not just the safe itself, since we have never heard of this happening before.
Just a few days ago, we received another call.
A collector, well-known to CGC, called to ask about the same problem affecting a single book. He was told to send his book in so that we could see it. After thinking about it that evening and remembering the “safe” incident from the year before, I called him the very next morning. I asked him if his comic was stored in a fireproof safe, and his answer was “yes.” I then asked him if it was a safe made by the same company. His answer again was, “yes.” Subsequent examination revealed that not just a single comic book was affected, but a few had rusted staples.
Coincidently, both reported incidents involved the same brand safes. We have strong reason to believe that ANY fireproof or fire resistant safe might create a harmful storage environment for your comics. Yesterday, we also learned that fireproof/fire resistant safes are prone to develop moisture. Many fire resistant safes contain insulation, which in turn, contains water crystals; thus the high content of moisture.
The collector who recently contacted us furthermore revealed this statement from the owner’s manual for his safe: “Inside of the safe is subject to humidity. If you wish to store stamps or other items which may be affected by moisture, place them in an air tight container before storing”.
If you have a fireproof or resistant safe, or if you are thinking about buying one, PLEASE do as much research as possible to determine if it can be harmful to non-precious metals.
Ain't nobody messin' with you but you Your friends are getting most concerned Loose with the truth baby, it's your fire Baby, I hope you don't get burned -R. Hunter
I don't own a safe, but I use one frequently at work. I had thought it fairly common knowledge that a metal safe in not a dry environment. Most safes owners utilize silica gel packets to absorb moisture/humidity. More silica gel would be needed based upon the interior size of the safe in question. I don't know about the life of such packets, but I would recommend changing them regularly.
It sounds like the 2 collectors in the example did not take such precautions and paid the price for it.
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Remember when six figures used to mean a team of action figures sitting on your nightstand.
Registered: 07/26/02
Posts: 12918
Loc: Beyond The Horizon
Quote:
No worries thought, my comics will burn, burn, burn if my house goes up!
If the house went up in flames, the last thing I would be worried about is my comics.
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"There's nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself." -Johann Sebastian Bach
Registered: 07/02/02
Posts: 17306
Loc: Centreville, VA
Thanks for the good info Steve. I'm wondering if the OVERuse of dessicants such as silica gel might in any way possibly be detrimental to current condition of the comic? Probably not, I'd think.
Quote: I don't own a safe, but I use one frequently at work. I had thought it fairly common knowledge that a metal safe in not a dry environment. Most safes owners utilize silica gel packets to absorb moisture/humidity. More silica gel would be needed based upon the interior size of the safe in question. I don't know about the life of such packets, but I would recommend changing them regularly.
It sounds like the 2 collectors in the example did not take such precautions and paid the price for it.
I've got a fire resistant metal safe and have several LARGE dessicant packs inside it. They've been in there for, oh, at least 10 years. Also there's some other thick sheet of stiff paper-ish material with text on it instructing the owner to keep that inside. Metal items inside the safe have not rusted in all that time. The packs came with the safe!
Gun safes don't seem to have this problem. Guns will rust in a heartbeat, especially older guns.
