You can easily identify a slabbed comic because the grades will include the name of the grading service, such as cgc 9. This article is meant as an introductory article to comic grading. 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. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. Aug 30, 2017 comic book grades are given out through a company called the certified guaranty company also known as the cgc. The price guide, currently in its 37th release, features information on the ten point comic book grading scale, as well as approximate values of thousands of american comic books with different.
Bowed a condition of the covers or boards of a hard cover book. The cover of a comic is what typically takes the most abuse. Who is the most reputable to help get the most value. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading. Cgc uses a 10point grading scale to evaluate comics. When grading gets to fine, you start operating on a point system. The basic grading scale, also known as letter grades, uses the grades from near mint highest to poor lowest nm near mint. The standard comic book grading system that is widely used today is the one developed in the official overstreet comic book grading guide. Comic book grading part 1 certified guaranty company.
There are eight major grades in the comic book grading scale. One way comic books are graded is on the basic grading scale, which runs from mint the highest, through near mint, very fine, fine, very good, good, fair, and poor the lowest. The book pretty much summarizes all the checking points in determining the value of a comic book, and provides extensive comic book grading scale and descriptions for each grading level. 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. 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. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet guide. Bowed covers may turn inward toward the leaves or outward away from the leaves. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry. The market value of comic books is partly determined by a grading process. There are different systems used by different price guides and grading companies. The most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading.
Cgcs restoration grading scale is a transparent system that is much more descriptive and accurate than before. 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. Most comics graded using the tenpoint grading scale have cover scans, so when youre considering purchasing a comic you can see the front and sometimes back cover scans of the exact comic being offered. Predating todays commonly used 10point numerical grading scale by about 10 years, the 100point scale was an unsuccessful early attempt to apply a more scientific standard to the comic book grading process. Dealers and graders may often disagree with some grading classifications. This page gives you the basic comic book grading definitions and 10 point scale, and a glossary of grading termslingo. The grade of a comic book is based on its physical condition. To grade a comic, you need to take in to consideration a number of factors before being able to assess the correct grade. Bleaching and other treatments can be used, but are expensive, frowned upon and not very effective. Most collectors will accept any page quality except for books with slightly brittle or brittle pages in a collectible comic. This grading process details the exact condition and completeness of a comic. Even though them comic will look better, its page quality will still rate a lower grade.
Only the most expensive books should ever be considered for page treatment. 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. Like a coin, once a grade has been assigned the comic book is sealed to preserve and protect it. Comic books can be sent to these companies for independent, impartial certification, including grading, restoration check and encapsulation within a tamperevident protective holder. The official 1983 price guide to comic books first ed. 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. A highly consistent, descriptive and illustrated extensively grading guide on the web which will be a free service to the collecting community. Books that are coverless, but are otherwise complete, will receive a grade of 0. The same general ideas apply when dealing with comic books and the cgc grading scale. In general, cgc is set up the same way as ngc and pcgs as far as the grading process. As a result, we do not guarantee that any specific book will come back as a certain number grade should any customer choose to grade comics ordered from midtown. Mint mt near mint nm very fine vf fine fn very good vg good gd fair fa poor po this comic book grading scale has been used for several decades, during which time the scale has been expanded to more accurately describe a books condition. The two basic systems consist of a number scale from one to ten such as the cgc uses and.
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. It is very rare, especially in older vintage comic books, to discover a comic in these grades as they are virtually nonexistent. Books with brown or brittle pages are usually not good candidates either. Comics price guide was the first online price guide for comic books back in 1995. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. I just want to get the most out of what is probably my best comic. There are grades in between these basic grades such as finevery fine, but we want this to be a general easytofollow comic grading guide for the novice. The owlone card comes sealed in its original foil packaging. Only very minute printing and bindery defects or the most barely noticeable handling defects present. When you have completed this course and practiced, you will be able to pick up and grade any comic, whether its one in your collection or that grail book you finally found at a con. The best possible existing condition of that comic book.
Produced in collaboration with the comic book grading professionals of cgc and cbcs, this profusely illustrated guide explains the basics of comic book. Books in these conditions can demand a high premium and are some of the most desirable books for collectors to own. In recent years, grading criteria have become even tighter, especially in silver and bronze age books, due to their higher survival rate. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. Lets show you some examples, so you can understand what your books grade on this scale. Comics listed for sale on johns comics and stuff are listed with the basic grading scale. 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. With hourly rates hitting three figures for restoration, only very valuable books should be candidates. The tenpoint grading scale assigns grades ranging from 10. When initially looking at a comic book the first thing one will notice is the cover of the book. Comic book grading has evolved over the past several decades from a much looser interpretation of standards in the beginning to the very tight professional scrutiny in use by the market today. Grading scale for higher grade books is as follows. In the case of comics in vg or higher grades, the book is already an attractive. The real freakin comic book men greg eide has been selling comic books as his livelihood for over 42 years.
Produced in collaboration with the comic book grading professionals of cgc and cbcs, this profusely illustrated guide explains the basics of comic book grading on the industrystandard 10point scale. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. The premier online comics price guide free comic book values. There has been a recent rise in the value of cgc graded comic books. Any amount of wear to the cover of the book must be factored into the condition and grading of the comic. May 27, 2016 i understand that different people have different definitions of what a high grade book is, so for the purposes of this article, high grades will mean grades between 9. This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a general idea of the grade of your books for pricing purposes.
Chuck rozanskis grading standards mile high comics. This grading process details the exact condition and completeness of a comic, allowing the seller to get an idea of. Even professional grading services like cgc, cbcs, and pgx acknowledge that the same book may not always receive the same grade if it is submitted for grading more than once. Additionally, some comics in our store are slabbed by cgc, cbcs, or pgx. From our humble beginnings, we have grown to the largest, most complete comic book price guide with well over 1,000,000 comics in our database. Dec 24, 20 the real freakin comic book men greg eide has been selling comic books as his livelihood for over 42 years.
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 grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value. The value of the comic should also be high enough to justify restoration. He opened his first brick and mortar store in march of 1972. That way, anyone can compare their raw or slabbed books to consistent grading standards. These grading services assign grades on the same tenpoint grading scale used by mycomicshop. Comic grading professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality. Please note that midtown comics does not grade or consider any type of numbered grading scale when determining a comic books condition.
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. Other descriptors used in conjunction with the above grading scale. When you submit a comic book to cgc, it is inspected before grading actually begins. Grading process certified guaranty company, llc cgc comics.
Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. Buyers now have a very good idea as to what the condition of a comic book is. We have values for any marvel, dc, image, idw, darkhorse, or dell comic book that is in your collection. In the case of comics in vg or higher grades, the book is already an attractive item and restoration would be excessive. 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. Comics listed for auction or buyitnow are listed using the 10 point grading scale. Were sorry but doesnt work properly without javascript enabled. Numerous collectors and comic fans will purchase coverless comics to either read or to obtain a filler copy of a book for their collection. How you should list your comics when youre trying to sell them online.
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