We created the Archival Armor® trademark when we began manufacturing our own 4 mil Polyester (Mylar) Comic Sleeves. Having a machine built for that specific task changed our position from a re-seller to a manufacturer. More information on that in our “Products We Make” category.
The topic covered in this article is specifically about a unique new style of Archival Armor® sleeves we developed for comic book collectors - the “Beaded Flap Style.”
S17RBF - Beaded Flap 'Regular' Comic Polyester Sleeve
Comic Book Collectors are some of the largest amounts of Mylar Comic Bags. Although the comic book industry has had a few slow periods, comic collectors are still purchasing, and many view their purchases as commodities. That said, they are also some of the topmost believers in collection protection. Whether you see comics in a comic book store, conventions or shows, they almost always come with a bag and board – albeit maybe not top-quality bags and boards. Store owners and dealers leave that up to the collectors to "upgrade" if they want to make that choice.
Another collection protection practice that is popular with collectors is Comic Book Grading. It became a favored trend for two reasons: first, it guarantees to future buyers that the graded book is in the condition that is noted on the slab and is worth the price that the seller is asking for it. Second, it encapsulates the comic book so that the value of the book cannot change over time. You can see our graded comic supplies
here.
Polyester (Mylar) Comic Book Sleeves come with their own guarantee. The material we use for our comic book sleeves – DuPont inert Melinex® (or a suitable equivalent) is guaranteed by the Library of Congress as
safe for indefinite storage (100’s of years). The material has also been certified by an independent lab as being safe for indefinite storage. We chose our materials to make no compromises in quality and protection. There is nothing in this grade of Polyester that will cause harm or alter the composition of items stored in it.
Since we are huge proponents of comic book protection, we decided to create an alternative, safer storage option for comic book collectors. Making the new style sleeves from 4 mil polyester, instead of 2 mil was the first step; the second was to create an alternative style flap. We refer to it as a
beaded flap. Instead of having a flap that was merely an extension of the back of the sleeve, we heat-weld a third piece of material on one edge of the open end. This creates a flap that does not require folding and creasing, or even taping closed.
These sleeves cost a little more than the fold-over flap sleeves, but it does save the collector time because there is no folding, creasing and taping needed. No matter which style you choose we're sure you'll be happy with the choice you made by getting your Polyester sleeves from Bags Unlimited.