A grade represents the condition of a book in a way that collectors can understand. The best possible existing condition of that comic book. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet guide. Comic collectors have established standard grades to describe the condition of the comics theyre buying and selling. For books that have a signature witness, they are sealed with a special label. This book may range anywhere from poor to near mint and there is no obligation to clarify its condition. In general, the more restoration has been performed, the less the comic is worth compared to its apparent grade value.
Comic grading professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality. The notes help future purchasers of a comic book because they notate any hidden defects that are factored into the final grade. To grade a comic, you need to take in to consideration a number of factors before being able to assess the correct grade. Booksellers use standard terms to describe the condition of the used books that they sell. You can think of the grade of a comic book like a grade on a report card. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry. Jul 16, 2014 a few weeks ago, i attended a local comic convention here in vancouver and i heard about the new company comic book certification service. Chuck rozanskis grading standards mile high comics. Then, simply register or login to start the submission process. The online form will allow you to easily submit any number of comics, and then you can print a copy of the form to be included in your shipment. These records are from an impartial 3rd party source gp analysis.
Comic grading company has a simple and affordable pricing structure without any clubs to join. Cover shows significant wear, and may be loose or even detached at one staple. Discoloration, fading, foxing, and even minor to moderate soiling is allowed. Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book grading. Before you ship your comics, please read the shipping information below. The higher the grade, the better the condition the comic book is in. It was because of these rumors that made me wonder what would happen if i cracked open a pgx slab, removed the comic and submitted it to cgc for grading. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. Again, grading comics can be very subjective and have a company like cgc give their opinion can make comic books go for much more than their cover price, especially those with high grades.
Blastoff comics owner explains why most comic book stores barely stay afloat duration. Cbgc provides the only easy to use, online comic submission form. A comic book in fr condition may have nonstory elements such as coupons, ad pages, or marvel value stamps cut or torn out of the book. Typically the owner of a freshlygraded, purplelabeled comic opens the shipping package and immediately slumps into a pile, with much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Due to the nature of paper, discoloration is expected over time. For collector and dealer alike, it is essential to grade the condition of a comic fairly and accurately in order to determine its true value and worth. The primary reason to grade a comic is that there is a direct correlation between the condition of the comic and the value of the book. I just want to get the most out of what is probably my best comic. Tolkien when considering the purchase of a book for your collection, the condition and, if applicable, the dust jacket are the most important factors affecting the value. Theoretically, the higher the grade of the book, the more desirable the book will be. Preventative restoration, widely used and accepted by collectors, consists of nonadditive restoration on a book with one or two major defects. A nice comic with a piece up to the size of a standard postage stamp torn from one corner. A few weeks ago, i attended a local comic convention here in vancouver and i heard about the new company comic book certification service.
A grader must comb over a book in very minute detail, looking for myriad imperfections like wear, tears, rounded corners, marks, page color e. Cbcs comic book certification service the newest and second most popular comic book grading company. They were adopted by the bookselling community and are still in use today. As new means that the book is in the state that it should have been in. Jun 21, 2017 the term grading refers to finding the condition that a comic book is in. Should i even bother getting the comic book graded if i plan to sell some of them. What matters is the condition of the comic before it was stored.
When you go to buy a car, an antique, house, or other purchases, you want to know what kind of shape it is in. I was wondering why the comic books on ebay with a cgc grading and case were worth more than the ones that only came in a plastic sleeve. The two main methods of describing an overall grade are numerical, and symbol. There has been a recent rise in the value of cgc graded comic books. Long time collector and comic book enthusiast looking to share my collecting hobby with like minded collectors. We closely monitor and calibrate our staff to maintain adherence to our established standards. Books that have been encapsulated and certified by an objective thirdparty grading service take the guesswork out of the grading process for both collectors and dealers. And for many of these comic book examples, it takes an understanding of the difference between direct edition and newsstand edition copies, before you can truly appreciate just how collectible some of these rarities are. Vault grading provides grading, pressing, encapsulation, valuation, and screening services to comic book collectors. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards.
Please note that we can only ship up to 30 books in one box so you will need to take this into account when submitting larger orders. The 2 reputable thirdparty professional grading services both begin with c use the same scale, but not exactly the same criteria, but overstreet has collaborated with them for their newest grading guide. Comic book grades are given to a book reflecting the quality of printing, storage, and upkeep of a particular book. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading.
Comic book grading guide and cheat sheet comicache. Useful for when you are unsure of the grade of a book or do not wish to grade the comic. Or would the rumors of overgrading be proven to be true and cgc would grade the book lower. Meaning we buy them at the shop, we bag and board them immediately, and when we read them we do so every so carefully. The grading notes are available here to help a submitter understand how we came to the consensus of the grade on the cbcs label. This is an attempt to show the inexperienced collector a rough idea of what constitutes good, fine, near mint etc using 90s amazing spiderman comics as a. The grades are not averaged together, as the head grader determines the final grade. The biggest and most popular third party grading company. In rare cases, a comic book will look much better than the given grade.
While cgc gets a lot of attentionbecoming synonymous with comic book grading in much the same way that xerox is synonymous with photocopyingpgx has managed to hold its own over the years despite operating in the shadow of its counterpart. How to grade your comics comic book grading labels. Special thanks to our comic grading advisor steve borock, president of cbsc comic book certification service, former heritage auctions consignment director and former cgc presidentprimary grader. A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in the same apparent grade. The first issue of a longrunning comic book series is commonly the rarest and most desirable to collectors. Is getting the comic professionally graded up its price, or is it just nice to have it in a fancy case with a grade number. So in our minds or at least my mind, every comic weve ever bought is in nearmint to mint condition.
While a casual collector might not need to bother, its vitally important to have your comics graded if you ever plan to sell them, because the value of a comic varies widely depending on the grade it receives. A fr is the lowest grade a comic book can receive as long as the story and art are complete. We grade fairly and accurately and in accordance with widely accepted comic grading standards. The worlds largest collectibles auctioneer comic books, vintage comics, original and animation art. Grading your comic books guide revel in the detail. Nov 15, 2017 blastoff comics owner explains why most comic book stores barely stay afloat duration. The comic book grading companies will offer witnesses, so a representative from the grading company will stand with you as you get a book signed. Cgcs restoration grading scale is a transparent system that is much more descriptive and accurate than before. Buyers now have a very good idea as to what the condition of a comic book is. This is a fairly common trait in the very good category. This article is meant as an introductory article to comic grading.
A comic must be relatively complete to be successfully restored. The grade of a comic book is very similar to a report card grade. Aaron albert, a collector of and an expert on comic books, has studied, taught, and written about the comic book genre for more than 20 years. As comic book collectors, sometimes we have the tendency to look at our comics with mint colored lenses. As with grading all collectibles, there is a degree of subjectivity as there are many factors to consider and all of them must be weighed to determine an overall grade. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to. In these rare cases, a check mark will be placed on the label by the numerical grade. Comic book grading basics what you need to know by admin on thursday, october 15th, 2009 4 comments the grade or condition of a comic book is the most important determination of value outside of the actual title and issue number. The first issue of a longrunning comic book series is. A fr copy will have virtually no eye appeal and will display major damage.
Before a comic books value is determined, the comic book needs to have an accurate grade assigned to it. I have been a comic book fan, collector, publisher pocket comicsmars attacks 1988 and graphic artist for years necessity is the mother of invention. Certified guaranty company, also known as cgc, is a sarasota, florida comic book grading. Gp analysis lists us as a cgc the comic book grading authority online auction firm.
Our company has sat well over 600 world record prices selling vintage comic books at auction. But only when the book is otherwise quite beautiful, and the tape does not in any way mar the appearance of the book. Here is a brief guide to some of the terms used when grading a comic. Our staff of friendly and dedicated employees offer over 250 years of experience in the comic book market place, and look forward to assisting you. Ill be bringing a mixed bag of content and hope to meet some fellow comic fans along the way. Furthermore, what a comic book is stored in does not have any bearing on the grade of that comic book.
As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. The market value of comic books is partly determined by a grading process. Grading is the second investigation a comic goes through, this time to evaluate the condition of the comic cover and pages. But the rawhide kid book just has spine stress and no pulling. A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade. The term grading refers to finding the condition that a comic book is in. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. Once restored, a comic s value depends upon several factors.
You then hand the book over to them, and it gets sent off to be graded. If you reall are concerned, its kind of tough to flatten out the roll once the comic suffers from it, but for minor case all you have to do is stack a bunch of heavy book on top of the comic for a few days and leave it be. As i build my online comic book shop, ill be blogging about the experience along the way. The set of terms below were proposed in 1949 by ab bookmans weekly. Who is the most reputable to help get the most value. Thanks for the response batman007, if i understand you, you are saying spine roll is a function of use as in reader wear and tear and not a manufacturing issue. Also, pressing is a very delicate process, so please be aware that it may add time to the express and next day grading services. The term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in.
Signature series yellow, a book signed by someone of significance to the comic, as witnessed by an employee of cgc, and the. Comic book grading labels collectors condition comic. Like most things i do here at the certified comic shop. Advice for those who dont know how to grade comics. Insurance is required on all orders and should be purchased based upon the fair market value of your books as determined by you. Every type of restoration found on each book will be individually graded for quantity and quality, with a cumulative score determining the final restoration grade assigned.
It is very rare, especially in older vintage comic books, to discover a comic in these grades as they are virtually nonexistent. In this article, we will describe the basics of what comic book grading is, why you would get your comics graded, and the differences between the companies. Read on to discover if cgc graded the comic higher, lower or the same. Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value. The most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading. Comic book grading company the affordable and reliable.
Near mint condition comic grading meaning liveabout. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. A guide to grading the comic book price guide for great. I got tired of using standard labels, cutting, taping, searching, and wasting time. For any questions, please contact our site administrator. This company was started by steve borock, the former president of cgc so he definitely has some clout in the industry. This grading process details the exact condition and completeness of a comic, allowing the seller to get an idea of how much it is worth. The best way to understand why a specific comic book received a check mark designation is to refer to the graders notes. Grading is the term used for the assessment of the condition of a particular comic book. Though comic book grading has been around for decades, it wasnt until 2000 that a new thirdparty grading service, cgc, burst onto the scene and revolutionized the comic book collecting industry.
453 668 561 40 608 1127 1392 286 177 1313 470 761 1281 1518 783 945 1522 682 1506 1220 1355 873 227 802 386 268 709 1165 1234 936 618 848 742 1174 984 424 69 1375 495 958