Caring for Your Collection

These books have already survived decades. A little care keeps them readable, and keeps their value, for decades more. None of this is fussy; it's the handful of habits that separate a Trophy Room copy from a Rough one. Start with the essentials below; open any "More" for the full detail.

Handling

Clean, dry hands. Support the spine as you open a book, use a bookmark (never a dog-ear), and never lift a book by the top of its spine.

More on handling

That top-of-spine bit is the headcap; pulling a book off the shelf by it is the single most common way collectors tear an otherwise-fine copy. Don't crack a perfect-bound rulebook flat on the table, it splits the glued spine; ease it open instead. And skip the cotton gloves for paper: clean dry hands give you the grip and feel that gloves lose, which means fewer drops and fewer creases.

Storage

• Upright and snug: not crammed (warps covers), not loose (lets books lean and cock the spine).
• Heavy or oversized books lie flat. Boxed sets always lie flat, the box is the value.
• Modules, thin supplements and magazines go in a poly/mylar sleeve with an acid-free backing board.
• Away from direct sun and UV: light fades spines faster than anything else.

More on shelving, boxed sets & bagging

Use bookends so a part-full shelf can't lean. Inside a boxed set, bag the loose booklets, maps and counters separately so they don't abrade each other or the box edges, and store the whole thing flat, never on its side. For modules and magazines, comic-book bags and boards (current and silver-age sizes) fit most RPG digests and saddle-stitched issues perfectly and are cheap by the hundred. Acid-free is the phrase to look for on anything that touches the paper.

Climate & humidity: the Australian problem

In our climate it's humidity, not handling, that quietly ruins most collections. Aim for a stable 35 to 50% relative humidity; above about 65% and mould moves in. Keep books out of the garage, the under-house and the unsealed shed.

More on humidity, mould & the gear that helps

A cheap hygrometer on the shelf tells you where you actually stand. In a wet region, a small dehumidifier in the book room, or silica/moisture absorbers tucked in the bookcase, pays for itself in saved books. Watch for the early warnings: a musty smell, or reddish-brown foxing spots. At the first sign of mould, isolate the book, dry it out, and soft-brush the spores off outdoors wearing a mask, and don't spread them along the shelf. Heat matters too: stable and cool beats warm and variable.

Cleaning: gently, and dry first

Most grime lifts with a soft brush or a dry microfibre cloth. A kneadable (gum) eraser, used lightly, takes marks off board covers. Avoid household cleaners, solvents and water on paper and most covers.

More on cleaning & when to stop

Dust the top edge regularly, that's where grime accumulates and migrates inward. A document-cleaning pad (grated eraser) is gentle on cloth and board; work from the spine outward, never scrub. Water and solvents cockle paper and lift ink, so leave them alone. And know the line: a genuinely valuable or badly damaged book is a job for a conservator, not a kitchen-table fix; see the community links below.

The mistakes that cost you

• Sticky tape. Cellophane/Scotch tape yellows and stains permanently, worse than the tear it "fixed."
• Glue, DIY repairs with the wrong materials, and lamination: all irreversible.
• Writing, highlighting, or price stickers on the cover (the residue stays).
• Rubber bands (cut and stain) and stacking heavy books on softcovers.
• Attics, garages, under-houses: heat/humidity swings and pests. Silverfish and booklice eat the starch in bindings and paper.
• Food, drink and smoke nearby: odour, once in, never leaves.

First aid for a wet or damaged book

Act fast: wet paper is salvageable, mouldy paper often isn't. Stand the book fanned open in a cool, airy spot (a fan helps; never a hairdryer or direct heat). Interleave paper towels every 20 to 30 pages, swapping them as they take up water. If you can't dry it now, seal it in a freezer bag and freeze it: that stops mould and buys you time until you can dry or get it to a conservator. Once dry, press it flat under a weight for a day or two to pull the warp out.

Format-specific notes (matte covers, perfect-binding, maps)

• Matte covers (much of World of Darkness) show scuffs and fingerprints, handle by the edges.
• Gloss covers (classic TSR) scratch and show ring-marks, keep them off rough surfaces.
• Perfect-bound books (most Palladium, later TSR) crack if forced flat, open gently.
• Saddle-stitched issues can rust at the staples in damp air, humidity control matters double here.
• Poster and hex maps: refold along the original creases only; a new fold is a permanent scar.

Further help & community

You don't have to learn this alone.

• Conservation, done properly: for valuable or damaged pieces, read the professionals: the AICCM (Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material), your state or national library's caring-for-your-collection guides, and the Library of Congress book-care notes are all free and reliable.
• Know your books: RPGGeek, The Acaeum (the authority on TSR printings) and Wayne's Books are where collectors confirm editions and printings. See our full Sources We Trust directory.
• The community: the out-of-print RPG scene is generous; collector groups and forums will gladly help you identify, value or rescue a book.

Not sure what condition you've actually got? See How We Grade, the Reliquary Condition Scale. Winding a collection down, or have doubles? We buy, sell & trade, we'd rather these books found the right hands than the recycling.