Who is the most reputable to help get the most value. Grading process certified guaranty company, llc cgc comics. To grade a comic, you need to take in to consideration a number of factors before being able to assess the correct grade. Cgc uses a 10point grading scale to evaluate comics. Produced in collaboration with the comic book grading professionals of cgc and cbcs, this profusely illustrated guide explains the basics of comic book. There has been a recent rise in the value of cgc graded comic books. Please note that midtown comics does not grade or consider any type of numbered grading scale when determining a comic books condition. Only very minute printing and bindery defects or the most barely noticeable handling defects present. How you should list your comics when youre trying to sell them online. Most collectors will accept any page quality except for books with slightly brittle or brittle pages in a collectible comic. The premier online comics price guide free comic book values. 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.
Like a coin, once a grade has been assigned the comic book is sealed to preserve and protect it. 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. The standard comic book grading system that is widely used today is the one developed in the official overstreet comic book grading guide. The official 1983 price guide to comic books first ed. 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. 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 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. Learn what is the comic book rating system and how a comic book is graded with cbcs comics grading guidelines. Bleaching and other treatments can be used, but are expensive, frowned upon and not very effective. 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. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it.
Books with brown or brittle pages are usually not good candidates either. 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. The owlone card comes sealed in its original foil packaging. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards.
The learn to grade comic books course is the most comprehensive course of its kind. We have values for any marvel, dc, image, idw, darkhorse, or dell comic book that is in your collection. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry. This article is meant as an introductory article to comic grading. This grading process details the exact condition and completeness of a comic. This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a general idea of the grade of your books for pricing purposes. In the case of comics in vg or higher grades, the book is already an attractive. This page gives you the basic comic book grading definitions and 10 point scale, and a glossary of grading termslingo. Comic book grading part 1 certified guaranty company.
Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value. 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. Books that are coverless, but are otherwise complete, will receive a grade of 0. Aug 30, 2017 comic book grades are given out through a company called the certified guaranty company also known as the cgc. He opened his first brick and mortar store in march of 1972. The cover of a comic is what typically takes the most abuse. With hourly rates hitting three figures for restoration, only very valuable books should be candidates. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet guide. The real freakin comic book men greg eide has been selling comic books as his livelihood for over 42 years. There are different systems used by different price guides and grading companies. In recent years, grading criteria have become even tighter, especially in silver and bronze age books, due to their higher survival rate. Below are cgcs grading standards for each numeric grade as well as the restoration grading scale. Comics listed for auction or buyitnow are listed using the 10 point grading scale. The value of the comic should also be high enough to justify restoration.
This grading process details the exact condition and completeness of a comic, allowing the seller to get an idea of. 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. 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. Bowed covers may turn inward toward the leaves or outward away from the leaves. It is very rare, especially in older vintage comic books, to discover a comic in these grades as they are virtually nonexistent.
When initially looking at a comic book the first thing one will notice is the cover of the book. Were sorry but doesnt work properly without javascript enabled. 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. 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. The basic grading scale, also known as letter grades, uses the grades from near mint highest to poor lowest nm near mint. Additionally, some comics in our store are slabbed by cgc, cbcs, or pgx.
Numerous collectors and comic fans will purchase coverless comics to either read or to obtain a filler copy of a book for their collection. Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book grading. Any amount of wear to the cover of the book must be factored into the condition and grading of the comic. 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. You can easily identify a slabbed comic because the grades will include the name of the grading service, such as cgc 9. The two basic systems consist of a number scale from one to ten such as the cgc uses and. The tenpoint grading scale assigns grades ranging from 10. Grading scale for higher grade books is as follows.
Buyers now have a very good idea as to what the condition of a comic book is. 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. Sell my comic books unboxes some early silver age marvel amazing spiderman. Dealers and graders may often disagree with some grading classifications. Bowed a condition of the covers or boards of a hard cover book. The most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading. Other descriptors used in conjunction with the above grading scale. These grading services assign grades on the same tenpoint grading scale used by mycomicshop. 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. In general, cgc is set up the same way as ngc and pcgs as far as the grading process. 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. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. 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.
The same general ideas apply when dealing with comic books and the cgc grading scale. 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. 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. 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. The grade of a comic book is based on its physical condition. Comic grading professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality. The market value of comic books is partly determined by a grading process. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. 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.
Another way is on a tenpoint grading scale from 10. When you submit a comic book to cgc, it is inspected before grading actually begins. Lets show you some examples, so you can understand what your books grade on this scale. 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. Cgcs restoration grading scale is a transparent system that is much more descriptive and accurate than before. Chuck rozanskis grading standards mile high comics. I just want to get the most out of what is probably my best comic. Comic books can be sent to these companies for independent, impartial certification, including grading, restoration check and encapsulation within a tamperevident protective holder. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading. Even though them comic will look better, its page quality will still rate a lower grade. 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. Books in these conditions can demand a high premium and are some of the most desirable books for collectors to own. Dec 24, 20 the real freakin comic book men greg eide has been selling comic books as his livelihood for over 42 years.
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. Only the most expensive books should ever be considered for page treatment. Comics listed for sale on johns comics and stuff are listed with the basic grading scale. There are eight major grades in the comic book grading scale. A highly consistent, descriptive and illustrated extensively grading guide on the web which will be a free service to the collecting community. The best possible existing condition of that comic book. Comics price guide was the first online price guide for comic books back in 1995.
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