# What to do with old Nat. Geo's **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 20, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417 "2016-08-20T15:37:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/1 "2016-08-20T15:37:19Z")
I’ve got a whole bookcase full of National Geographic magazines. Issues range from the 1970’s -present. I don’t suspect they’re worth even much even to collectors. I hate to just throw them out but at the same time they’re just gathering dust and taking up valuable shelf space. What should I do with them? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/2 "2016-08-20T15:49:25Z")
Salvation Army or a convenient dumpster. Trust me, nobody wants old magazines, and I’ve tried. Unless it’s a very rare issue, like the Marilyn Playboy, or a very old Nat Geo from the 1900s, it’s a lost cause. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/3 "2016-08-20T15:49:31Z")
Put them on eBay. Someone will want them. Somewhere, I have an issue from 1968 or 1969 that has an article in it about the grunion run. There’s a picture in it of a guy who would much later be my high school biology teacher. And I’ve actually been to a grunion run. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/4 "2016-08-20T15:54:11Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > And I’ve actually been to a grunion run. Were you able to successfully prevent the invasion? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/5 "2016-08-20T15:55:45Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Were you able to successfully prevent the invasion? Yeah, they kept falling off of their little boats. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/6 "2016-08-20T16:03:41Z")
Salvation army. I buy old -but not-too-old issues occasionally for bathroom reading material. When I’m struck by a particular story, I look up how the current situation is now, and if the NHM’s predictions came true. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/7 "2016-08-20T19:59:21Z")
Schools with art programs might like them-- I remember them being great for collage materials. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/8 "2016-08-20T20:06:35Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Salvation Army or a convenient dumpster. At the very least, I should think they could be recycled. But whatever the OP decides, do it quickly before the continent is [doomed](http://www.jir.com/geographic.html)! ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/9 "2016-08-20T20:23:23Z")
Leave them in a convenient wooded area. They will complete their life cycle entering their pupae stage as pr0n mags and eventually emerge as fully grown VHS and DVD pr0n! CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![BundleOfStix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BundleOfStix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BundleOfStix)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/10 "2016-08-20T23:47:07Z")
eBay or an art center. Collage artists and book makers love them- they partially dissolve the ink with Citrasolve to make cool designs. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2016, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/11 "2016-08-21T00:54:32Z")
In 1984, there was an article with early scanning electron microscope images of macrophages eating germs. Go look at that article for me before you get rid of it. I spent a lot of time looking at it as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2016, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/12 "2016-08-21T03:04:53Z")
You can look at eBay sold/completed items to see if anything is salable–and there might be issues on highly specialized subjects which might be. For example do you have the May, 2016 issue on Yellowstone: Battle for the the American West or the June 1985 issue showing the Afghan girl? Here are sold issues from 1980 (you can modify the search to also get 1940-1979 issues): > **[national geographic for sale | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?rmvSB=true&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&_dcat=280&Publication%2520Year=2000%252DNow%7C1980%252D1999&_nkw=national%2Bgeographic&LH_PrefLoc=2&_sop=16)** > > Get the best deals for national geographic at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items! But I would check out say a nursing home to see if they could use them: National Geographics were much more popular with the older generation than they are currently. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2016, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/13 "2016-08-21T03:19:25Z")
Old magazines, eh? Donate them to a doctor or dentist for their waiting rooms. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2016, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/14 "2016-08-21T03:19:27Z")
I’d contact a school (any school, from elementary through college) and ask if they want them, or your library. It’s always possible that they have some missing issues that they need for their archive. If they want them, most likely it would be for art classes unless the issues are very recent. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2016, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/15 "2016-08-21T14:11:37Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > But I would check out say a nursing home to see if they could use them This sounds like he best idea mentioned yet. ---
**Author:** ![Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90ced4/32.png) [@Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waltzes_with_Cacti)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2016, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/16 "2016-08-21T14:39:04Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by PastTense > But I would check out say a nursing home to see if they could use them I came in here to suggest this. Also, does your town have a community center for retired folks? That’s another place you could take them. ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/17 "2016-08-21T14:55:00Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Were you able to successfully prevent the invasion? It was not easy. We almost ran out of ammo, but Granny Clampett was passing out Elly Mae’s ladyfingers for our guns. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2016, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/18 "2016-08-21T15:04:07Z")
Just don’t donate them to hospital’s waiting lounges. I was taking a break in the coffee lounge while my (then)wife was was in labor in 2002 and picked up a Nat Geo. I begin to flip through the pages and hit an ad for this wild, new, crazy audio technology called the Compact Disc. WTF? I flip back to the cover, publication date: 1983. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/19 "2016-08-21T16:02:24Z")
Now this is a great plan - go to various medical/dental offices and drop off a copy or two. Check back a few weeks later and see if they are still there. Might even make a study for some graduate student in a discipline that doesn’t come immediately to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417/20 "2016-08-21T16:13:29Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > WTF? I flip back to the cover, publication date: 1983. What’s the problem? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-old-nat-geos/763417.md?page=2)