As you very well may know, collecting comic books can be a rewarding experience. One of the best places to look for them is as estate sales. When searching for the books, it is imperative to purchase ones that are in tip-top shape and of value. If you have just begun your comic book collection, there are several things that you will need to keep them both safe and intact. Let’s dive right in and take a close look.

1. Bags for Your Comic Books

Comic book bags are your first weapon in the line of the defense for protecting your comic books. You need to make sure that the bags you store your comic books in are completely free of water, oils and dust.

2. Book Boards

Even though your comic book bags will do wonders at keeping away unwanted contaminants, the books you purchase at estate sales also need to be kept straight, meaning no folded-up pages. To accomplish this goal, you will need comic book boards. Such boards can be as simple as small pieces of cardboard cut into the size of your books; however, actual comic book boards are available for purchase. One of the best places to buy them is online.

3. Storage for the Books

You will need a safe place to store your comic books, especially if they are of great value. A safe often is a good storage space to put them in. If you can’t afford a safe, a simple filing cabinet can be used; however, it’s a good idea to keep the cabinet locked, especially if you have children in the house who like to go through your stuff. One place you don’t want to store your comic books is in the basement. Even the best of comic book bags can’t protect your books from the precipitation that often builds up in basements.

4. Pricing Guide

If you don’t know what comic books are worth, you may end up overpaying for them at estate sales. Don’t let this happen to you. Instead, purchase a comic book price guide, and more importantly, keep it on you at all times because you never know when you will come across a comic book that you just have to have.

5. Know the Terms

Just the same as every other hobby has its own jargon, so does comic book collecting. By knowing such jargon, you can rest assured you won’t feel out of the loop when going to estate sales and purchasing comic books.

6. Keep a List

Having two of the same comic book isn’t necessarily a bad thing; however, it’s usually best to keep some sort of title list on you when going to estate sales to ensure you don’t end up purchasing a book that you already have. If you want, you can use a simple software program to keep track of the books you have, how much they cost you and when they were purchased.