The 7 Best Comic Book Sleeves For Your Collection

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Comic books require constant protection. You can’t just throw raw comic books into a long box, 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 that causes paper to disintegrate slowly. When paper products experience exposure to the elements, like oxygen, sunlight, heat, or humidity, lignin causes the paper to discolor, become brittle, and disintegrate over time.

Comic book paper also slowly diffuses natural gases that make it acidic and slowly disintegrate. So, if you store it in a comic book sleeve and backing board that is not acid-free, it will continue to disintegrate. Also, the comic paper could become brittle, disintegrate to the touch, ripple as the gas diffuses, and even stick to the interior of the comic sleeve.

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.

Before we start on the list, here are some basic terms you should know about comic book sleeves and backing boards.

Comic Book Sleeves 101

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.

What is Acid Free?

You should always look for comic book sleeves and backing boards that contain a coating or buffering of 3% calcium carbonate. This makes the product “acid-free.” Acid-free comic book protection supplies slow down the natural disintegration process caused by lignin.

Now, here are seven of the best comic book sleeves you can buy on Amazon right now.

1. BCW Re-Sealable Comic Book Bags (100-Pack)

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BCW’s resealable comic book bags come in 100-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. This product is optimal for use with Modern Age comic books.

You can get 100 sleeves for $9.48 on Amazon now.

2. E. Gerber Mylites (50-Pack)

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E. Gerber comic book sleeves are well-known for its quality. The sleeves are over 2MM thick. The manufactuer claims that this product is one-third the strength of steel! If you use this product properly then your comic books will experience zero percent off-gassing.

E. Gerber Mylite sleeves are adic-free and will stop oxygen decomposition of paper if you use it properly. This product will also resist mold, fungus, and mildew contamination as well as rodent and insect attacks.

The manufacturer states that you should only store Golden Age or Silver Age comic books in them. Here are the product’s dimensions: 7 3/4 x 10 1/2 inches.

Get 50 Mylites sleeves for $21.38 at Amazon right now.

3. Leffis 100 Comic Book Sleeves and Boards

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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 backing boards. Just place one board into the sleeve and then place the comic between the sleeve and the board.

This product is made of polyproprylene with an acid-free coating. The manufactuer states that this product is optimal for use with Modern Age comic books. Here are the product’s dimensions: 7.2 X 10.5 inches; Boards: 6.75 x 10.5 inches.

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.

Buy the Leffis 100-pack right now for $22.99 on Amazon.

4. Big Fudge 50 Comic Book Sleeves and Boards

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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.

The manufacturer states that this product can preserve comic books and some magazines from the 1990s to today. Here are the product’s dimensions: 7.25″ x 10.5″.

You can get Big Fudge’s 50-pack of comic book sleeves and 50 backing boards for $19.95 at Amazon.

5. Belifun Comic Book Bags and Boards (100 Sleeves and Backing Boards)

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Belifun comic book bags and backing boards feature a 3% calcium carbonate buffering that makes them acid-free. You get 100 comic book bags and backing boards with each purchase. Each bag features a 1 1/2′ resealable flap that protects your comics from dust, moisture, and the elements.

These comic book bags are 2-Mil thick and archival quality. As long as you store your comic book properly, then it should technically last years or decades in Belifun products.

This product is only optimal for use with Silver Age comic books.

Get 100 sleeves and backing boards for $23.99 at Amazon now.

6. Dark Blue Fantasy (100 Sleeves and Backing Boards)

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Dark Blue Fantasy offers 100 sleeves and backing boards with each purchase. The sleeves and backing boards all feature acid-free buffering. The manufacturer states that this product is of archival quality; if you store your comics in them properly ,then they should last for years or even decades.

Each sleeve is 3-Mil thick. This product is optimal for use with Silver Age comic books.

Here are the dimensions of the products: Sleeves, 7.24″x10.4″ with Flap 1.5″. Boards 7″X10.4″.

Buy 100 sleeves and backing boards for $24.99 at Amazon now

7. BCW Silver Comic Mylar Bags

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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 optimum storage spaces, the comic book should last forever. This product is optimal for use with Silver Age comic books only.

You can buy a 50-pack of sleeves for $34.99 on Amazon.

A Word of Caution

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Protect Your Comics

Keep your comic books out of direct sunlight when storing them.

Always Go Acid-Free

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. Go acid-free even if you buy cheaper sleeves that you have to replace sooner.

The Right Size

Golden and Silver Age comic books are slightly taller and wider than Bronze and Modern Age comic books. Buy the right sleeves for the right comic. Bronze and Modern Age comic books will fit in sleeves made for Golden and Silver Age comics, but not the other way around. Still, it could damage your comic or allow for too much off-gassing if it is in a sleeve that is too big for it as well.

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.

A Recurring Expense

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.

Having a comic book collection is a perpetual expense because you need to pay for protective supplies, so always be ready for it.

It might be cheaper to invest in the best tablets to read comic books in digital format. You could read digital comics you don’t plan to buy yet, and then just sleeve only the physical comics you buy.

Still, unless you always buy acid-free, archival Mylar sleeves, you will replace your sleeves every few years. As a comic collector, it costs money to buy, maintain, and protect your comic books.

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Allen Francis

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.