The Genii Forum

My Genii drawer is now overflowing and I'm running out of space to store my magazines. I've lost or damaged several because they are now out in the open and prone to attack.

I'm looking for tips on storing my magazines, how do you guys do it?

I've struggled with this for many years, as I have all the issues going back to 1956.

My early volumes, from the 50s up until the early 80s, are in my garage in enclosed legal boxes. Each box holds 3 years of Geniis (they were thinner back then). Nice that they are protected, but finding an issue in one of them means removing the box from a high shelf and spreading out all the issues on the hood of my car until I get my hands on the desired magazine. Not the best of circumstances, especially in deep summer or winter.

Most of the rest, until recently, have been inside the home in unprotected plastic magazine holders, one year per holder (lately Richard has been producing Geniis so thick that it's difficult to get one year in each, and the wrap was a nuisance). The current and one past year are in my office, the next past 10 years or so in inexpensive bookshelves in my laundry room. Again, not the best of circumstances, as they are open to the elements of my laundry room, which include spiders and mice.

Ah, to my favorite and relatively new solution. I purchased some plastic storage bins each constructed like a single drawer of a file cabinet, able to hold hanging file folders. You can buy them in varying depths, but I suggest no deeper than capable of holding 3 years or 4 tops as the bin will become too heavy to lift. These bins are also stackable, and I keep them in my garage, as they keep the magazines enclosed and protected. Best of all, by placing only a few issues in each hanging folder and putting them in order, it is extremely easy to thumb through the issues and locate the one you want. No more spreading them over the hood of a car. Obviously, a file cabinet itself would serve the same purpose, but I find inexpensive and very sturdy plastic shelving a handier solution in my home.

My long-term goal is to move all the "ancient" editions to these plastic storage bins.

My wife's long-term goal is quite different.

Ah yes, and then there's the Linking Rings, and Magic, and all the others. It gets overwhelming after awhile.

My wife's long-term plan for these magazines is also very different from mine. Sigh.

For more than 15 years, I collected comic books. Keeping them in mint condition almost became an obsession. I am happy to have moved beyond this now.

I purchased a 20 year run of Genii from a magician. He had all of them hardbound by volume. This is pricy but it does preserve them very well and they will fit on your bookshelf nicely. However, this is not my preferred way of storing my magazines since it makes reading them a very heavy experience. I still prefer to have an individual issue in my hands that I can read where I want.

The easiest and most convenient way that I have found is to go to a comic book specialty store and purchase magazine size transparent plastic bags and a magazine size storage cardboard box. Store each magazine in one of those bags and tape the flap shut. Not only will your magazines not get dirty but it will make it easier to flip through the magazines to find the issue you are looking for without tearing some of the pages. This is how I have stored the last 10 years of my Genii collection.

Your local comic shop should have magazine sized boxes. These boxes are strong and specially made to protect your magazines, and they are quite inexpensive.

Gord

I have my bound by a bookbinder that specializes in library binding.

Bob, what kind of price are you getting for a year's bound volume?

I keep mine in a lamp. I thought everyone did? :confused:

I have mine in hanging folders, by year, in a 4 drawer lateral file I picked up cheap at an auction.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll pop by the local comic book store and see what I can find.

Originally posted by Kevin Connolly:
I keep mine in a lamp. I thought everyone did? :confused:

:whack:

Originally posted by Kevin Connolly:
I keep mine in a lamp. I thought everyone did?

Since 1965, the trend has been to keep them in bottles.

All over the house you'll see on wife swap next week wed.Jan. 23

Originally posted by John Signa:

Originally posted by Kevin Connolly:
[b]I keep mine in a lamp. I thought everyone did?

Since 1965, the trend has been to keep them in bottles. [/b]

Glass or plastic? :confused:

Brad,
It runs about $20 per book. Lately I have each volume bound into 2 books.

PierreDan & Gord,
Not sure why I never thought about comic books before, but it makes perfect sense -- people tend to want protect them the same way we want to protect our magazines. I'll have to look into this, since storage is starting to become an issue here.

Right now, I have my magazines in cardboard magazine holders that my wife found in Ikea. They work great, but I don't think they're good for long term storage. I'll likely keep them for the most current issues for easy access, but maybe I'll move to the comic solution for older magazines (like all the old issues of Genii/Sphinx that I have).

Thanks,
Jim

I've kept my Genii magazines in the cardboard boxes from the comic store for a while. They are stored in individual polyethylene bags with a stiff "white board" backing.

Also, you can try your local baseball card shop. They sometimes sell stiff plastic containers that collectors use for autographed magazines.

I keep my old ones (anything over three years old) in magazine holders in the basement categorized by year. The current three years on my magic bookshelves in my study.

My wife too has plans for these periodicals when I'm no longer on this plane of existence. she plans to use them as my funeral pyre

Originally posted by Sin City Jesse:
I've kept my Genii magazines in the cardboard boxes from the comic store for a while. They are stored in individual polyethylene bags with a stiff "white board" backing.

Also, you can try your local baseball card shop. They sometimes sell stiff plastic containers that collectors use for autographed magazines.

The local comic bookstore is a hidden treasure trove of storing options. You can get boxes, protective bags of all sizes, hard plastic protectors etc.
The comic book people have been working for decades on ways to store and protect their treasures, and other collectors are reaping the benefits.
For another added touch, if you are a little worried about having your boxes on the floor, just get a couple of milk crates and use some old cardboard to cover the tops. They are cheap and work like a charm.

Gord

I have a complete file of Genii. At the end of each year, I have that year's volume bound in black buckram...and have pockets/sleeves added to the inside covers to hold any inserts/ephemera/cds etc that might have accompanied any of those 12 issues. By the way, I use Wert Bookbinding in Allentown, Pennsylvania, for this.

I keep mine in the bottle he came in.

Originally posted by Michael Edwards:
I have a complete file of Genii. At the end of each year, I have that year's volume bound in black buckram...and have pockets/sleeves added to the inside covers to hold any inserts/ephemera/cds etc that might have accompanied any of those 12 issues. By the way, I use Wert Bookbinding in Allentown, Pennsylvania, for this.

This sounds very nice indeed. I didn't even think about all the inserts and gifts, I'm sure I've lost most of them already.

I put them in the recycling bin and wait for Richard to start offering decades worth of back issues in PDF form on CD.

For comics storage, these boxes are the best I've seen: Drawer Boxes by The Collection Drawer Company

They are sturdy, make things easy to access, and are stackable.

Yesterday, I received an email from the owner of the company that stated the company plans to bring out 8.5 x 11 magazine-sized drawer boxes, hopefully by fall.

Hi,

I use archival magazine boxes with archival magazine sleeves and backing boards for each issue.

These are available in common sizes that work fine for Genii, Magic, MUM, etc. So by purchasing in bulk you have plenty for several titles of your mags.

Yes, if you have a lot of mags, this does take up more storage space, but the mags are protected and are fairly easy to access.

Best,

Mark

Hi,

I use archival magazine boxes with archival magazine sleeves and backing boards for each issue.

These are available in common sizes that work fine for Genii, Magic, MUM, etc. So by purchasing in bulk you have plenty for several titles of your mags.

Yes, if you have a lot of mags, this does take up more storage space, but the mags are protected and are fairly easy to access.

Best,

Mark

I have my Genii bound in two volumes at the end of every year, as well as the Magic Circular. I've also got a partial run of Genii (vol. 11 to 37) which I acquired already bound that are much thinner than the current ones.

Personally, I like to have magazines looking nice on my shelves and, yes, the cost of binding is more than a subscription to Genii :(

Yes, beginning with Volume 66, I have had to have each year bound in two volumes of six issues each as well.