Comic book grade scale

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. The fair grade category signifies a heavily worn comic book. Comic grading company has a simple and affordable pricing structure without any clubs to join. Mar 27, 2020 to grade a comic book, start by examining the cover through a magnifying glass for things like folds or fingerprints. Mint we do not offer to sell comics in mint condition. The grade of a comic book is based on its physical condition. Lets show you some examples, so you can understand what your books grade on this scale. What are the comic book grades sparkle city comics. A fr is the lowest grade a comic book can receive as long as the story and art are complete. A standard color coded raw grading tool that is exclusively designed for you the comic book collectorinvestor. In these rare cases, a check mark will be placed on the label by the numerical grade. There are different systems used by different price guides and grading companies. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike.

This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a general idea of the grade of your books for pricing. Theoretically, the higher the grade of the book, the more desirable the book will be. Comics that are submitted to cgc are graded by professional graders on a 10 point scale and then sealed inside a hard plastic cotainer to prevent tampering. Other descriptors used in conjunction with the above grading scale. Cbcs grades mainstream comic books that will fit into our holder. Comic book grading labels collectors condition comic. Taking into account the capricious nature of cgc grading, comics in this grade can be expected to grade out with cgc at 6. The overstreet guide to grading comics includes the 10point grading system including new grades 0. 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. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it.

Nm near mint vf very fine fn fine vg very good gd good fr fair pr poor the tenpoint grading scale assigns grades ranging from 10. The two main methods of describing an overall grade are numerical, and symbol. To grade a comic, you need to take in to consideration a number of factors before being able to assess the correct grade. Cover shows significant wear, and may be loose or even detached at one staple. A highly consistent, descriptive and illustrated extensively grading guide on the web which will be a free service to the collecting community. Organize your collection the way you want it to be. Another way is on a tenpoint grading scale from 10.

We have values for any marvel, dc, image, idw, darkhorse, or dell comic book that is in your collection. A copy usually in poor to fair condition that includes all text presented in a legible fashion. The standard comic book grading system that is widely used today is the one developed in the official overstreet comic book grading guide. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry. Chuck rozanskis grading standards mile high comics. Cover may be detached, and inks have lost all reflectivity. Aug 30, 2017 comic book grades are given out through a company called the certified guaranty company also known as the cgc. You can now take pride in showingoff your comic book collection to your friends at home, dealers. Cgc is an independent member of the certified collectibles group of companies. These comic grading services will grade a comic and then seal the comic in a hard plastic case that displays the assigned grade. Jan 09, 2017 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. Dec 24, 20 the real freakin comic book men greg eide has been selling comic books as his livelihood for over 42 years. 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.

You then hand the book over to them, and it gets sent off to be graded. Fits the criteria for very good but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book s appearance by a perceptible amount. For any questions, please contact our site administrator. A standard comic book universal blue no grade ng a comic book that is in such poor condition that cgc will not give it a grade, but merely verify that it is an actual original comic book. Certified guaranty company, also known as cgc, is a sarasota, florida comic book grading service. Below are cgcs grading standards for each numeric grade as well as the restoration grading scale. 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. This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a general idea of the grade of your books for pricing purposes. Mail submissions to cgc headquarters paid collectors society members and authorized dealers can complete submission forms online and send collectibles directly to the cgc headquarters. 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. I just want to get the most out of what is probably my best 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. The premier online comics price guide free comic book values.

A grade represents the condition of a book in a way that collectors can understand. There are eight major grades in the comic book grading scale. Grading certified guaranty company, llc cgc comics. Our grading methods are based upon factual and measurable observations. The best way to understand why a specific comic book received a check mark designation is to refer to the graders notes. 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. Comics price guide was the first online price guide for comic books back in 1995. A guide to grading the comic book price guide for great. Cgc uses a 10point grading scale to evaluate comics. 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. Cgcs restoration grading scale is a transparent system that is much more descriptive and accurate than before.

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. Comic book grading, certification process cbcs comics. Submit comics to cgc for grading there are four ways for collectors to submit their comics for grading. Grading is the process of evaluating the condition and consequent value of a comic book. Then, check the spine for small tears or folds, or spine break, which is a tear near the staples. The best possible existing condition of that comic book. The worlds largest collectibles auctioneer comic books, vintage comics. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. The same general ideas apply when dealing with comic books and the cgc grading scale. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. He opened his first brick and mortar store in march of 1972. Bowed a condition of the covers or boards of a hard cover book. Comic book grading guide and cheat sheet comicache. 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.

Before cgc comics, collectors were at the mercy of vendors to determine the grade and value of a comic book. In it, i walk you step by step through 27 comics at every grade level from 0. 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. Each pack is grouped around a particular character or theme, and there is no duplication within any pack. The term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in. Who is the most reputable to help get the most value. Last week i received my overstreet guide to grading comics 2015 edition from amazon.

Cbgc has developed a proprietary comic book grading system with over 550 separate grading characteristics, covering over 20 grading categories. Once restored, a comic s value depends upon several factors. The most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading. There are numerous variables that factor into the grade of a comic book. The two basic systems consist of a number scale from one to ten such as the cgc uses and.

Some people will not grade a comic missing its cover, but some give incomplete comics a score between 0. A detailed explanation of how to determine a comic books condition based on the established grades is generally included in a comic book pricing guide. The grading notes are available here to help a submitter understand how we came to the consensus of the grade on the cbcs label. There may be exceptions for comics that are unusually heavy, even though they may fit into the size parameters. A fr copy will have virtually no eye appeal and will display major damage.

Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value. Nov 01, 2017 the fair grade category signifies a heavily worn comic book. Ill be bringing a mixed bag of content and hope to meet some fellow comic fans along the way. Comic book grading company the affordable and reliable. Mid grade comic books july 14, 2016 scott robertson 9 comments one of the most important aspects of investing in comics is the ability to spot a midgrade comic book that has the potential to become a high grade comic book. 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. You can easily identify a slabbed comic because the grades will include the name of the grading service, such as cgc 9. The learn to grade comic books course is the most comprehensive course of its kind. Comic book grades are given out through a company called the certified guaranty company also known as the cgc. Comic book grading the basics of grading comics superworld.

A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in the same apparent grade. Some people will state that comic book grading is an art. Cgc will slab pages of a comic book in this manner. May 19, 2016 before a comic books value is determined, the comic book needs to have an accurate grade assigned to it.

Long time collector and comic book enthusiast looking to share my collecting hobby with like minded collectors. The basic grading scale, also known as letter grades, uses the grades from near mint highest to poor lowest. Comic book grading part 1 certified guaranty company. After being examined by a restoration detection professional, the comic books are placed in barcoded mylar sleeves, and separated from their original invoice. You can think of the grade of a comic book like a grade on a report card.

Conserved bluepurple a book that has specific repairs done to improve the structural integrity and. Comic book grades are given to a book reflecting the quality of printing, storage, and upkeep of a particular book. It is the first independent and impartial third party grading service for comic books the company was launched in early 2000 and has since gone on to become a notable part of the comic book. Slip the comic book onto the backing board and into the protective sleeve, or place label over the comic book sleeve. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet guide. 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. When you submit a comic book to cgc, it is inspected before grading actually begins. A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade. 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 labels collectors condition comic book. In rare cases, a comic book will look much better than the given grade.

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. Comic book value packs comic book value packs are a great way to pick up a lot of comics cheaply. Some collectors consider this the lowest collectible grade because comic books in lesser condition are usually incomplete andor brittle. 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. Some grading companies have actually devised a numeric or scale grading system see table. Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book 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. For the most part, all the pages and most of the cover remains, however the book is aesthetically unattractive heavy creases, spine split, missing staples, rounded page corners. The overstreet guide to grading comics latest edition. Due to the nature of paper, discoloration is expected over time. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value.