Thursday, February 12, 2015
Monday, January 27, 2014
MYLAR...what you might not know, CAN hurt you!
MYLAR...betcha didn't know... the problem with mylar is that it has no “breathing” capabilities and sealing it is really not a good idea as moisture would be trapped inside and could potentially cause mold and mildew problems down the line. Mylar is used by museums and archives because it has 10’s of 100’s of years of life before it would break down and have to be replaced. This is a good thing for places like museums, as they could never be able to keep track of all the millions of documents they have and have to worry about replacing the sleeves before they start to deteriorate. Mylar needs to be kept in a controlled environment because of that “breathing” issue – and museums have that. Most homes do not. Desiccants need to be monitored carefully as well. They do absorb moisture, but you would need some kind of moisture gauge, as #1 if you have too much desiccant, you could make the paper brittle and cause it to start breaking down and #2 - eventually the desiccant needs replacing, as it will sooner or later have no more absorbing capabilities and stop doing the job. Moisture is a very tricky problem with paper as you can imagine. That is why polypro and polyethylene are considered good alternatives for the standard collector who is looking for a lifetime of protection for their collectibles 50-100 years. It has “breathing” properties and as long as it is not left out to absorb light, will not break down for 50-100 years.
BEST Way to Protect Comics
Listen, there ARE some knowledgeable people who really do know their stuff when it comes to collection protection, and thank goodness we do have people out there who know what they are doing! We also have some companies that DO manufacture acid free products for collectibles like we do. That is also good... because without a magic wand, I doubt we could set up enough buildings with all the necessary equipment and skilled workers to make those products fast enough to supply the worlds needs...HOWEVER...(haha...you had to know that was coming) I am a little biased about our company and not because it is family owned...it's because I can say without blinking an eye that ALL we say we are and do, we are and do!!!!!! When I was younger and in sales, it was so easy because I never had to sell..the products sold themselves. But now we're in an age where China is on the band wagon, and can undercut most all U.S. manufacturers. The potential glitch in that is that the certification and proprieties are not the same as ours, so you may not be getting what you think you are. There is also a mindset that you "just throw it in a bag and it will be OK"....that's dangerous thinking, unless the bag is filled with water and you're transporting a goldfish.
I invite you to take a challenge...request one of our catalogs and a few samples and make a real comparison. (We CAN supply you with the product materials...can your current company do that?). WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE??? Well, it's possible you have everything to lose...so message me..talk to me!!!!! Let's see what if anything we can do for you!!!
Monday, November 4, 2013
Treasury Edition Comic Sleeve
Treasury Edition Comic Sleeve
Everyone has a year that's special to them for comics! Treasury Edition size is here! and on 10% discount!
Everyone has a year that's special to them for comics! Treasury Edition size is here! and on 10% discount!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Do YOU Know How to Tell if Your Record is Worth Anything?
http://www.ehow.com/how_7455895_tell-vinyl-records-worth-anything.html
We all know scratches and marks devalue vinyl off the bat, but sometimes a record is SO rare, it still makes it collectible. But would you know how to tell if your record has value? Find out here....and start learning!
Monday, August 5, 2013
Nasty Tales/R. Crumb
In the late 1960s England's major underground newspaper, International Times (IT), began including more cartoons into their content, mixing in some British comics with quite a few American underground comics. It was a popular move that drove up their circulation numbers. In 1970, one of their photographers, Graham Keen, left the paper to launch Cyclops, the first major British underground comic with national distribution. Cyclops folded after four issues, probably because it featured mostly British comics, which at the time were of significantly poorer quality than American comics. But Bloom Publications (publisher of IT) saw the potential in the comic book format and launched its own underground comic book, Nasty Tales, the following year.
Unlike Cyclops, Nasty Tales focused on reprinted American underground comics. That may sound old hat to Americans, but people in Great Britain had never seen a comic book that delivered page after page of Robert Crumb, Gilbert Shelton, Greg Irons, S. Clay Wilson and Spain Rodriguez. Nasty Tales was 52 pages thick and every issue featured at least 32 pages of American underground comics (as much as most American comic books). It was easily the most popular British underground of its time, helped pave the way for undergrounds that would follow (in more ways than one), and inspired many British cartoonists to pursue work in underground comics.
The first issue of Nasty Tales reprinted one of Robert Crumb's cartoons from Snatch Comics #1, "Grand Opening of the Great Intercontinental Fuck-in and Orgy Riot," which looked every bit as raunchy as it sounds. Though this same cartoon had previously been published in IT without a problem, this time an eight-year-old boy picked up Nasty Tales #1 at a news stand and took it home. When his mother found the comic book and perused it, she tore it to pieces and took the shredded book down to the local police station. This incident led to Bloom Publications and the staff at Nasty Tales being indicted in 1971 for possessing obscenity with the intent to distribute.
The Nasty Tales trial at the Old Bailey (the most important criminal court in Great Britain) in January, 1973 was a national event and contentious affair. While the trial resulted in a not guilty verdict for Bloom Publications and the comic book's staff, the costs of the trial derailed the publication (the judge denied a motion to reimburse the defendants for their legal expenses). In fact, the seventh and final issue of Nasty Tales came out before the trial even began. After the series folded, the trial was memorialized in 1973 in the comic book The Trials of Nasty Tales, which was copublished by Bloom and H. Bunch Associates and, somewhat ironically, featured all British creators.
While its run may not have lasted long, Nasty Tales was a vitally important publication in the history of British undergrounds. The notorious trial that it engendered (and the resulting not guilty verdict) would embolden British publishers to produce hundreds of other underground comics in the coming years. And despite the emphasis on American comics, Nasty Tales also gave Britains Chris Welch and Edward Barker (who was one of the defendants in the trial) considerable exposure.
From Comixjoint.com
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Need to Organize Your Bookcase?
SHELF FILES - font color="#662200"Brown/font Corrugated Cardboard.
10-1/6 x 4 x 7-1/8. Holds National Geographics.
These fold-together economy Shelf Files are an inexpensive way to keep your office or storage area organized. Made from 200# test corrugated, kraft material. Break down and store flat when not in use.
I have seen some people decorate these and they look pretty sweet on their book shelf! It's a great way to keep things organized...even if they are NOT National Geographic Magazine.
10-1/6 x 4 x 7-1/8. Holds National Geographics.
These fold-together economy Shelf Files are an inexpensive way to keep your office or storage area organized. Made from 200# test corrugated, kraft material. Break down and store flat when not in use.
I have seen some people decorate these and they look pretty sweet on their book shelf! It's a great way to keep things organized...even if they are NOT National Geographic Magazine.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
16" Record Envelopes - 10 pt. thick acid-free paper.
16" Record Envelopes - 10 pt. thick acid-free paper.
16 and 20" discs — Although 12" was the largest disc diameter used in consumer products, broadcasting studios made use of 16" and 20"-diameter 78 rpm acetate "transcriptions," used for time-delaying programs and for prerecording broadcasts. These could provide up to 20 minutes of unbroken program material with very good fidelity (indistinguishable from live to casual, but not to critical listeners). Early classical LP recordings were in fact initially recorded on 20" 78-rpm acetates for later transfer to LP. 16" turntables are still seen in professional broadcast equipment, although it is probably very rare that any disk larger than 12" is ever played on them. Quote taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Davy Crockett's Almanack of Mystery, Adventure and The Wild West: "The Diamond Wager" by Samuel Dashiell (Hammett?) ...
Davy Crockett's Almanack of Mystery, Adventure and The Wild West: "The Diamond Wager" by Samuel Dashiell (Hammett?) ...: Editor's Note: This story appeared in the October 19, 1929 issue of Detective Fiction Weekly , and is believed to have been written by...
Monday, June 24, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
Some Leeway, but THE TOP TEN MOST VALUABLE RECORDS
1) John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy (Geffen US Album, 1980) Note: Autographed by Lennon five hours before Mark David Chapman assassinated him. Value: $525,000
2) The Quarrymen - "That'll Be the Day"/"In Spite Of All The Danger" (UK 78 RPM, Acetate in plain sleeve, 1958) Note: Only one copy made. Value: $180,000
3) The Beatles - Yesterday and Today (Capitol, US Album in 'butcher' sleeve, 1966) Value: $38,500, though more typically prices range from $150-$7500
4) Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (CBS, US album, stereo 1963 featuring 4 tracks deleted from subsequent releases) Value: $35,000
5) Long Cleve Reed & Little Harvey Hull - "Original Stack O'Lee Blues" (Black Patti, US 78 RPM in plain sleeve, 1927) Value: $30,000
6) Frank Wilson - "Do I Love You?" (Tamla Motown, US 7" 45 RPM in plain sleeve, 1965) Value: $30,000
7) Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground and Nico (US Album Acetate, in plain sleeve, 1966 with alternate versions of tracks from official release) Value: estimate $25,200.
8) Elvis Presley - Stay Away, Joe (US, RCA Victor UNRM-9408, 1967) Note: One side promotional album.
9) The Five Sharps - "Stormy Weather" (US, Jubilee 5104, 78 RPM, 1953) Value: $25,000
10) The Hornets - "I Can't Believe" (US, States 127, 78 RPM, 1953) Value: $25,000
Feel Like Life is Passing You By? See What You Can Do to Change That!
I know we all have our ups and downs in life, but sometimes we seem to get "stuck"....We look around us..at our lives, our jobs, our health, our age...whatever it is...We take that silent pause and wonder, "Is that all there is? Am I headed in the right direction? Am I reaching my goals? Am I happy?"
Well, it's not only normal to have these pauses in our lives, it's healthy. Every now and again, it's good to ask ourselves those tough questions to see where we can make improvements, or maybe even to recognize that it's all exactly where you want it to be, and all is right with the world!
But what happens if you get the opposite effect? You feel unaccomplished, unimportant, and have not even begun to start fulfilling your goals and dreams?
Well, here is the good news! *Not to sound trite, however, every minute is a fresh new page. Every day can be a new beginning...in fact, you don't have to wait until tomorrow...start right now!
It's true! There is one caveat, however, and that is to get somewhere, you have to have an idea of "WHERE" is. But hold on... There is more good news! You don't have to know exactly where "WHERE" is at all...all you have to have is an idea, and an open mind. Do you know that research shows that almost 90% of all people who "fail" at an attempted new thing "fail" because they give up right before they were about to turn the corner?
So, before you decide that it's all been a frustrating exercise in futility, ask yourself this:
1. Do you now know more about life and how to handle the ups and downs of it than you did 10 years ago?
2. Are you relatively comfortable?
3. Have you learned new things?
4. Have you made tough choices?
(You get the idea). These may seem small and insignificant, but they are not..they are bench marks in the growth chart of your life. They may not be exciting, but they are tell tale signs of healthy growth. "Well, that's all well and good you say, but how does this help me?". Recognizing the small details in our lives gives us hope, and let's face it, you can't go very far without hope.
So, how do we make those "real" changes? Start a business, change jobs, move to another state, write a novel?
Well, the first few steps may sound the simplest, but for many, they may be the hardest...In order to make change, you have to desire it. Simple, right? Well, maybe not. Many people talk themselves out of their desire seconds after it enters their head. Why? DOUBT.
So, the very first step is to know your desire, and BELIEVE that it can be obtained.
Many people do not know that the brain doesn't tell us what to do or think...we actually tell our brain what to do by feeding it data, and the brain behaves accordingly...So, step #1 is to think of your desire and stop doubt it in tracks by taking some time to see yourself there...feel it, enjoy it! Picture it exactly as you want it to be.
Make a plan for how you will start. Take action. It doesn't have to be a big step...in fact, a small step usually works much better...i.e. Writing your goal down. Write down thoughts about how you will achieve this goal. (Don't cross anything out no matter how silly it may seem), and one idea about what you need to put in place to start. Maybe you need to do some research? Maybe you need to make a call, or several calls...just do something. The actual DOING helps to feed you with positive input and gives you that sense of "CAN DO"!
* This is to be continued...more to come on start up businesses and great ways to add some interest to your life!
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Ever Wished You Could Find a Hidden Treasure for Under 20.00?
These are the top ten collecting stories based on real events.
. September 2012: Abstract Painting Brings Thousands
A Goodwill store in North Carolina sold a large abstract painting in 2011 for $9.99 to an amateur painter who wanted to reuse the canvas. A friend suggested she look up the artist’s name written on the back. It was Ilya Bolotowsky. Sotheby’s auctioned the painting on Sept. 21, 2012, for $34,375. The seller plans to pay bills and repair her house with the money.
One man's trash is another man's treasure (or woman) is so true! Hidden treasures are everywhere!
Maybe our time is coming to unmask a Marvel Comic worth thousands, or a rare, unheard recording by Elvis Presley...whatever it is; Comic, Magazine, Vinyl Record, Coin, Poster, Autograph...whatever...hidden treasures are everywhere.
Ready to start looking?
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Fantagraphics and Love and Rockets
In the fall of 1982, Fantagraphics published its first issue of Love and Rockets, a black-and-white magazine featuring stories and art by the brothers Jaime, Gilbert and Mario Hernandez, a.k.a. Los Bros. Hernandez. These early comics, informed by the brothers’ love of Archie comics, science fiction, punk rock and their own SoCal Latino heritage, laid the foundation for one of the most ambitious, influential and acclaimed indie comic series of all time.
“We didn’t think it would last more than a few years,” said Mario. ”They thought they’d do this for a while, then head off to Marvel or DC.” Instead, while Mario scaled back his involvement with the series after the early issues, Jaime and Gilbert went on to produce thousands of pages of comics, earning more than 20 major comic industry awards along the way, including the Harvey, Kirby and Ignatz Awards.
It’s hard to overstate the impact that Love and Rockets has had on independent comics over the past three decades. Small-press comics began with the underground comix boom of the 1960s and gained traction in comic book specialty shops in the 1970s with the success of Dave Sim’s Cerebus and Wendy and Richard Pini’s Elfquest. In the 1980s, Love and Rockets kicked off an entirely new alternative comics scene. Los Bros. blended high comedy with high drama, juxtaposed magical realism with stark reality, and explored interpersonal relationships with rare sensitivity and insight.
Love and Rockets also highlighted people who’d rarely been seen in comics before. Up to that point, Latino characters had rarely appeared in comic books, but Los Bros.’ comics were populated by a largely, and sometimes exclusively, Latino cast of characters. In the 1980s, Love and Rockets was also unusual for its strong female lead characters, extensive female supporting cast, and positive portrayal of LGBT relationships. Over the years, Love and Rockets has been widely praised by Latino cultural associations, and Jaime Hernandez has been praised by GLAAD for tackling gay and lesbian issues.
Over the years, Love and Rockets has covered many storylines, with each brother developing his own densely-populated fictional universe. Gilbert’s stories, set in a small Latin American village called Palomar, form a sprawling multi-generational epic evocative of the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez. Jaime’s Locas stories follow a group of friends in the southern California punk scene, focusing on best friends and sometime lovers Margarita Luisa “Maggie” Chascarrillo and Esperanza “Hopey” Leticia Glass.
The Cartoon Art Museum’s exhibition follows Love and Rockets from 1982 until 1996, when Los Bros. concluded the magazine-formatted series with its 50th issue through its revival in 2001 for a 20-issue comic book series and its current incarnation as an ongoing series of annual publications from Fantagraphics called Love and Rockets: The New Stories.
Posted: September 26th, 2012 under Current Exhibitions, Events, Exhibitions, Now Featuring @ CAM, Past Events.
Friday, March 1, 2013
March 1st. Happy Birthday to Ron Howard~
http://www.biography.com/people/ron-howard-9542185
It's Ron Howard's Birthday today! Click on the link to read the article!
Happy Birthday, Ron!
It's Ron Howard's Birthday today! Click on the link to read the article!
Happy Birthday, Ron!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
What Makes Us Different is ....
I think there is an extreme importance to define why Bags Unlimited is different from other companies. First, I do believe there ARE other good companies out there, but I think BU is more of a niche company, well defined and shaped by our customers. We place a HIGH regard on QUALITY, INTEGRITY with an emphasis on assurance that we are manufacturing only top grade products that we stand behind. We also know that the economy is tough, and although we too have rising costs, we try to off-set some of those costs by offering wholesale, bonus points, weekly special and close outs. If you have never tried any of our products before, I would like to invite you to try us once and see what a difference it can make. FREE SHIPPING east of the MI, and free shipping anywhere (*except on plus frt. notices) when you spend 200.00. ...we are here to help! Let us know if you need a free catalog and/or sample! Sincerely, The BU Team.
www.bagsunlimited.com
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