It is very rare, especially in older vintage comic books, to discover a comic in these grades as they are virtually nonexistent. An incomplete book missing pages will have significantly less value then a complete counterpart. In this part two of four in the graders notes article series, we will explore high grade comic books and the graders notes from cbcs for those books. Grading is the term used for the assessment of the condition of a particular comic book. Grading was introduced in part 1 of this series comic book grading understand the options and cbcss system follows a 0. The company was founded by alec born and steve borock, the latter earning a reputation in the community while working many years at cgc, and was recently purchased by beckett media. This is a highly desirable early spiderman comic book that seldom turns up clean, thanks to the lighter color cover. Grading of comics can be subjective, although there are basic agreed upon standards within the industry. While there is a certain amount of subjectivity to this process, a reasonably accurate grade can be assigned by a careful amateur. There is a numeric system which corresponds to a titled grading system. 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. Well be taking a look at their grading scale for the.
Dec 24, 20 the real freakin comic book men greg eide has been selling comic books as his livelihood for over 42 years. Comic grading is the process of encasing a comic book in a plastic case. A very fine comic book appears to have been read a few times and has been handled with care. These grades allow for some more defects than higher grades. The number 1 free online comic book community featuring a comic book price guide database, friends, lists, blogs, and more comicbookrealm. Although the actual process of grading a comic isnt really that difficult, it can be a bit intimidating for beginners. Comics price guide was the first online price guide for comic books back in 1995. A standard color coded raw grading tool that is exclusively designed for you the comic book collectorinvestor. It contains the grade of your book and a bar code to look up additional information on your comic. Lets show you some examples, so you can understand what your books grade on this scale. Understandably, a high grade book is the most desirable book for any collector. Ill be bringing a mixed bag of content and hope to meet some fellow comic fans along the way. When grading gets to fine, you start operating on a point system.
The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. In this installment we will take a look at comic book certification services cbcs. Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a comic book, which directly influences its value. A detailed explanation of how to determine a comic book s condition based on the established grades is generally included in a comic book pricing guide. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade.
Only the slightest bindery or printing defects are allowed. Overall an above average copy and still very collectible. 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. When you are searching for a comic book, you need to know how to spot a high grade book. There has been a recent rise in the value of cgc graded comic books. Some of the above defects along with a fold or crease in the cover that breaks color. It is considered tamper proof and what you see is what you get. At mycomicshop, we use the basic grading scale for most of our comics. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry.
Jan 21, 2017 if you want to learn how to do basic grading on vintage comic books then here is a simple tutorial for you. 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. The generally accepted comic book grading scale, terms, and descriptions are as follows. A nice comic with a piece up to the size of a standard postage stamp torn from one corner. Learn what is the comic book rating system and how a comic book is graded with cbcs. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. 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. For any questions, please contact our site administrator. Comic book value packs are a great way to pick up a lot of comics cheaply.
The worlds largest collectibles auctioneer comic books, vintage comics, original and animation art. All it takes is a quick ebay search to see that high grade cgc comics will always sell for more than their raw counterparts. The learn to grade comic books course is the most comprehensive course of its kind. Similar to light tan to offwhite pages, but the edges of the pages are darker. Weve graded hundreds of thousands of comics over the last 35 years.
Not with most grading services though, perfect means perfect. Considered the authority on grading comics, the cgc will take you submitted books, grade them and then seal them in a thick plastic case also known as a slab. Cgcs restoration grading scale is a transparent system that is much more descriptive and accurate than before. Many hobbyists grade comics in an attempt to invest value into their books. 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. The oldest and most trusted comic book grading service is provided by certified guaranty company llc, more commonly known as cgc. But only when the book is otherwise quite beautiful, and the tape does not in any way mar the appearance of the book. An accumulation of binderyprinting defects is allowed. As we match the sale we record the comic grading company, holderlabel type and the assigned grade. The premier online comics price guide free comic book values. Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book grading.
Grading is the second investigation a comic goes through, this time to evaluate the condition of the comic cover and pages. But if book value is of zero importance to you, then go for it. We have values for any marvel, dc, image, idw, darkhorse, or dell comic book that is in your collection. After your comics arrive at cgc, up to three graders will inspect your comic before a final grade is given. It is considered a perfect copy and is extremely rare to find today. Its a known fact that graded books sell for more than nongraded aka raw copies of the. If you want to learn how to do basic grading on vintage comic books then here is a simple tutorial for you. The best grade a comic book can achieve with this page quality is 7. Both founders of comicconnect, stephen fishler and vincent zurzolo, are internationally recognized experts in comic book evaluation. A guide to book conditions the hobbit first edition by j. Below are cgcs grading standards for each numeric grade as well as the restoration grading scale. The advantages of the collectors condition comic book raw grading labeling system is. Its a good idea to understand the grading scale used by most comics collectors to help ensure that your expectations are met when you purchase comics. Grading standards are based on the standards laid out in the overstreet grading guide with additional experience gained from our years in the comic industry.
The best possible existing condition of that comic book. Were sorry but doesnt work properly without javascript enabled. Before a comic books value is determined, the comic book needs to have an accurate grade assigned to it. This is an exceptional example of a given book the best ever seen.
Grading is an inherently subjective process and there will always be small differences in opinion. The standard comic book grading system that is widely used today is the one developed in the official overstreet comic book grading guide. Once restored, a comics value depends upon several factors. 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. Remember that these costs can be higher for expensive books because cgc is insuring that your comic. Best bet would be to talk to alpha comics and they can get you an idea of the cost. Chuck rozanskis grading standards mile high comics. Many customers choose to ship their comic books to cgc for grading and evaluation. Grading scale while there is some small degree of variation on the following grading scheme within the community, the following is a representative of the general consensus on the comic book. I just want to get the most out of what is probably my best comic. Everything you need to know about submitting comic books to cgc. Once restored, a comic s value depends upon several factors. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet guide. Before cgc comics, collectors were at the mercy of vendors to determine the grade and value of a comic book.
You can also connect with others in the comic industry to further and enhance everyones comic experience. The market value of comic books is partly determined by a grading process. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to. Finally, we gather supportive information about the individual sale including when and where it was sold, how the sale can be identified at the remote venue, the format of the sale auction, fixed price, etc. He opened his first brick and mortar store in march of 1972. 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. Part of the reason is because its understood that at minimum the cost of grading the comic is added to the raw value of the book. Most comics graded using the tenpoint grading scale also 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. Effective with the 4th edition, published in 2014, the overstreet comic book grading guide has been retitled as the overstreet guide to grading comics, and has been published in a new larger format. Theoretically, the higher the grade of the book, the more desirable the book will be. Comic book grading guide and cheat sheet comicache.
Only very minute printing and bindery defects or the most barely noticeable handling defects present. In it, i walk you step by step through 27 comics at every grade level from 0. 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. Everything you need to know about submitting comic books. 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. Even professional grading services like cgc, cbcs, and pgx acknowledge that the same book may not always receive the same grade if it is. Mar 27, 2020 the market value of comic books is partly determined by a grading process. A grade represents the condition of a book in a way that collectors can understand. The official overstreet comic book grading guide, 3rd edition by robert m overstreet and arnold t.
Buyers now have a very good idea as to what the condition of a comic book is. Who is the most reputable to help get the most value. 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. Prices vary based on how old your comic is andor the value of the book. Each pack is grouped around a particular character or theme, and there is no duplication within any pack. For one, if you have a really valuable book, it offers a form of protection.
Aug 30, 2017 comic book grades are given out through a company called the certified guaranty company also known as the cgc. Gemstone mint is in every way a flawless copy of a comic book. One of the most important factors is first to count the interior pages. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. Grading comics accurately is essential to their figuring out their proper value and price. Labels and colors in 2017 cbcs redesigned their labels, and this article will only be covering the new ones. The tenpoint grading scale assigns grades ranging from 10. A grader must comb over a book in very minute detail, looking for myriad imperfections like wear, tears, rounded corners, marks, page color e. Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value.
In general, the more restoration has been performed, the less the comic is worth compared to its apparent grade value. Most professional comic book graders are in doubt if such copy of gem mint old comics exists today. Long time collector and comic book enthusiast looking to share my collecting hobby with like minded collectors. In fact, stephen is the creator of the 10 point numeric grading scale used throughout the comic collecting and investing community. 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. A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in the same apparent grade. The grading scale that we are familiar with in the coin market, regardless of the service that a coin has been submitted to, is known as the sheldon scale. Books in this grade are commonly creased, scuffed, abraded, soiled, and. Comic grading professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality. This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a general idea of the grade of your books for pricing purposes. 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. 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 most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading. It has major defects to the point that there is almost no collector value.
Grading is the process of evaluating the condition and consequent value of a comic book. Its a complicated process, and if you want to know more about it you can read how it works for yourself here. Comic book grading part 1 certified guaranty company. Comics listed for sale on johns comics and stuff are listed with the basic grading scale. Nostomanias grading guide for comic books as longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. Most collectors will accept any page quality except for books with slightly brittle or brittle pages in a collectible comic. There are different systems used by different price guides and grading companies. The grade of a comic book is based on its physical condition. Dealers and graders may often disagree with some grading classifications. Comic book grades are given out through a company called the certified guaranty company also known as the cgc.
Certified guaranty company cgc is a leading thirdparty grading service for comic books, magazines and other collectibles. 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. Of course theres also the fact that graded comics hold higher values. Comic book values typically depend on a number of factors, including how hard to find a particular issue is and the condition of the comic book. This is a fairly common trait in the very good category.
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. 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. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. With new expanded information, it remains the definitive reference for industrystandard comic book grading procedures. There are also a wide variety of possible other defects to the interior of a comic book. An exceptional example of a given book the best ever seen. The value can increase from 20 to 50 percent depending on the rarity of book. This plastic case forever seals your comic, unless you destroy the case to extract the comic. To grade a comic, you need to take in to consideration a number of factors before being able to assess the correct grade. Comic book value packs comic book value packs are a great way to pick up a lot of comics cheaply. In addition, there were no quality standards for comic book grading, which meant there was much discrepancy amongst collectors about the condition of various books.
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