Thanks for the replies!

I should have been more specific: I was thinking about the in / out question when sending mods through the mail. If I send out something through auction and an individual mod closes for 10+ it's de rigeur (pardon the expression) to send out with a backing board. Y'know I was thinking more along the lines of impact damage, but after some reflection bending is a more common problem (hence, writing *do not bend* on an envelope is always a good idea).

With the boards, always be sure to measure your boards to your bags. If the board isn't the right size (too tight), it's best not to use it at all. Sliding a mod in and out should literally be easier than putting on a glove. There are a couple of exceptions : early printings that others would know about more than I do (actually, I specialize more with what's inside the covers, than out). I know that there was a printing of S3 that will *not* fit inside a standard size magazine bag. Out of all the mods that TSR produced, this printing is the only example that I know of.

With my personal collection, I try to keep everything as close to 90 degree angles as possible. I am mindful of washing my hands (and thoroughly drying!) before handling (without exception after eating), but I haven't tried the glove thing yet (it's pretty common to see in libraries ... even though I was an LIT student, I honestly couldn't tell you the exact reason why they would wear them. always had my hands on a keyboard.)

One nice thing about certain light gloves is that they can make keying a little more comfy, esp. if you're one that has a heavy touch / bad angle tendency like me sometimes, and a little more fast. Has anyone noticed this? When I 'read' a mod, these days I'm working with it in the sense of filling out XP values, etc. other things (working on A1-4 now, will take a while), so a lot of typing while I'm referencing it to my left (I gotta wonder  why I have back aches sometimes: I should get something like a music stand).

Hmm. Gloves. A lot of gamers might think that pretty extreme, but I think it's highly commendable for archival/collecting purposes, and worth a try.

Anyway, just a quick point-form review of lessons in this thread.

* shiny side touches the mod / comic book
* try to keep your stuff as close to 90 as you can
* hands (we might not all be up to the level of Badmike yet, but please don't read the mod after shaking hands with Colonel Sanders)
* if it's not going anywhere, board in the bag : if it's being sent, not sure but seems might be an advantage to leaving it loose in some situations
(also, if there's not enough to go around at home, go for fragile/valuable stuff first. another idea is to keep a few at either end of the shelf. at home, it's intuitive, and you'll know where to place them. of course, the ideal is to board all of them. bags, at the very least)
* get your bags & boards measured at point of sale

also, as a final note, if you're going to put mods inside a bubble wrap envelope without bags, they will take some damage at the corners.

little details, but they add up over time.

so, how many of you out there have made plans to bury yourself with your mods (grave-goods). hey, old bomb shelters have their uses.



John

modheaven7@gmail.com