Bag, Board and Box #5: Artifact Integrity

[Christopher L. Tumber]

This article is copyright 1994 by Tracey Heft. This article was
originally published, in edited form, by Overstreet Comic Book Monthly.
Permission has been granted by the author for electronic distribution of
this document for personal usage provided it remain intact, unedited and
unaltered. No commerical usage or publication in other media is permitted
without the expressed written consent of the author.


Artifact Integrity
by
Tracey Heft

This time around, I thought it interesting to examine the concept
of artifact integrity in relation to comic collecting. This is a bit of
a deviation from the "preservation" theme of the previous four columns,
but I feel that such an investigation is both timely and relevant since
an understanding of artifact integrity will ultimately lead to answering
two difficult questions; when is it appropriate to restore a comic book
and to what extent should a comic book be restored?
In the world of conservation (and related museum studies) the concept
of "artifact integrity" is used to protect an object from any treatment(s)
that will in some way alter it's current condition. The concept of
"artifact integrity" governs the actions of the conservator and prevents
the conservator from improving the aesthetic appearance of the object
through needless or excessive treatment(s). Used interchangeably with
"historic integrity", the term indicates that the item in question has
a value that extends beyond the original and alludes to any changes or
incidents that have occurred to an artifact since it's creation.
The addition of foreign elements such as pressure sensitive tape,
writing on the document, or other similar blemishes might be considered
as historically important as the object itself, since significant
information about everyday usage, societal value and even ownership,
can be gleaned from the extraneous material.
Consider the Mile High and Larson pedigree copies, two collections
containing high grade examples of Golden Age comics, in some cases the
best known copies in existence. Most of the covers on these books have
been marked by their original owners, either with numerical codes or with
a signature. These signatures have become increasingly important to
people because they are now used to indicate authenticity (especially
in the absence of a centralized ownership registry) and provide an
additional clue to the distribution of comic books during the period.
Removing the damage inflicted to these books would be unwise, not to
mention irreparably harmful to the artifact's integrity.
There does come a time, however, when the need for conservation
over-rides the historical integrity of the piece - especially if the
document is degrading because of the addition of harmful substances
(i.e tape or pen inks), poor storage or improper handling. Therefore,
an item should ideally be restored when the condition of the object
demands intervention. In the museum world, any major artifact is given
a regular treatment in order to protect and preserve it for the use of
future generations. The same might hold true for comic books, especially
if the last few copies of a comic are in danger of being destroyed by
the ravages of time.
However, names, miscellaneous writing, store stamps, date stamps and
other non-threatening alterations and additions to the original condition
of the comic book are removed daily. This is in addition to the removal
of spine rolls and replacement of missing pieces. All of these changes
(by previous owners) to the original comic book, have bestowed the item
with an historical value that is of arguably more importance than any
high grade restored copy could be - especially if high grade examples
already exist.
As suggested earlier, information regarding the development of an
object or it's usage by society, can be considered (by some) to be of
greater historical importance than perhaps even the item itself. For
this reason, books or collections that can be traced back to a single
person or owner that in some way influenced the development of comic
books themselves or the hobby of comic collecting, (either directly or
indirectly), are gaining in popularity and consequently, value.
"Ashcan's", comics used in court cases and file copies from the original
publisher, all testify to the development of comic books as an art form,
as well as the growth of a multi-million dollar industry.
Another example of artifact integrity can be provided by comics that
were at one time possessed by Mr. Harvey T. Hollinger. An article (by
Tim Hessee) printed in the then current Overstreet Price Guide (#12)
goes on to tell of "Pop" Hollinger and his unique contribution to comic
collecting and fandom during it's infancy. What makes the Hollinger
story relevant to the concept of artifact integrity is the radical
alteration of the original comic books through the addition of tape
and re-stapling, which he termed "rebuilding" and Mr. Hollinger's
development of an extensive mail-order system for used comic books
in the late '30's and early 1940's.
While the story of Pop Hollinger is interesting in itself, his
books have become an historical record of the period and of the
burgeoning comic collector hobby. From a museological point of view,
their characteristic evolution (while regarded as damage by most) is
an irreplaceable testimony of the attitudes then current in society,
and each one of his comics has an "historical integrity" that is
arguably more important than the comic itself, even if the comic is a
Walt Disney Comics and Stories #1, or an All Flash #1 or even an All
Hero #1.
If all the evidence of Mr. Hollinger's treatments were removed,
and the comic in question restored to it's original appearance, the
integrity of the artifact would be violated. Once an object has
undergone restoration, it's integrity is changed and the historical
record represented by the artifact is destroyed or altered, perhaps
forever.
While it is a major part of the conservator's job to carefully
document the condition of an item before undertaking any treatment,
this is not always the case. This documentation prevents the loss
of information that might be considered extremely important at some
time in the future and can be referred to (after treatment) in case
there is a question about the history of the artifact, a reproduction
of the original is desired or perhaps even aid in the return of the
original back to it's previous condition.
There is a trend in all collectibles away from total restoration
of an object especially as costs increase. Instead, consideration is
being given to reproduction since after extensive restoration, a
severely damaged object is basically re-created - leaving little of
the original. Conservation and preservation of the original, in
it's original state is another trend that seems to be developing.
Restoration is then used as a technique to help reestablish "usability"
to an item, so that it can be handled and manipulated without fear of
total destruction. This also preserves a portion of the artifacts
integrity, allowing the collectible to retain the elements that make
it unique. In both cases, a balance is sought before restoration is
to begin; restoring the item so that it can be used and appreciated
by everyone, and at the same time - retain as much of the original as
possible.
Restoration, is a complex issue, and like all things it has a
time and a place when it should be done. Many feel it is important
to also consider the preservation, for future generations, of the
historical record that comics can provide in order to prevent the loss
(perhaps forever) of valuable and relevant historical information.
Alteration of the artifact's integrity becomes questionable when
information about the object's past is in danger of being altered
and/or lost forever and a choice must be made before restoration
is to begin; what to keep and what to change.
Until next time, when we will look at several treatments that
an object can undergo and attempt to define, as best as possible,
which treatments can be classified as "conservation" and which are
"restoration", keep on collecting.


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Tracey heft, author of the Overstreet "Bag and Board" columns, is a
professionally trained paper and artifact conservator and a member of
The International Institute for Conservation - Canadian Group.
Tracey has worked extensively for the Canadian federal governement on the
restoration and preservation of priceless historic documents. He is also
working in the field of comics and collectibles restoration. Some of
the books Tracey has worked on include: Amazing Spider-Man 1, Fantastic
Four 1, Showcase 6,8, 11 and 14, Adventure 74, Captain Marvel Adventures 3.
Tracey may be reached care of Eclipse Paper Conservation (613) 230-6181 or
email at aa...@freenet.carleton.ca (until Tracey gets a net connection of
his own).

Photos and scans of sample work available on request.


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