You can think of the grade of a comic book like a grade on a report card. For a certain price, a team of cgc comic book grading experts will examine your comics. 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. You need the right kind of bags, and acidfree backing boards. 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. Comic grading professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality. 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. Blumberg, has set the standard for grading the condition of comic books. Similar to light tan to offwhite pages, but the edges of the pages are darker. The best possible existing condition of that comic book. Paid collectors society members and authorized dealers can complete submission forms online and send collectibles directly to the cgc headquarters. Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or. Locate the book in the list of books you might need to change the drop list to go to another page.
I thought i knew a lot about grading but he taught me things i had no clue about. Sep 16, 2014 i found this guy on you tube and he really knows his stuff. Special thanks to our comic grading advisor steve borock, president of cbsc comic book. Comic book grading part 1 non professional grading. 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. Both founders of comicconnect, stephen fishler and vincent zurzolo, are internationally recognized experts in comic book evaluation. Everything you need to know about submitting comic books to cgc. A free printable comic book template for kids to create their very own comics. These grading services assign grades on the same tenpoint grading scale used by mycomicshop. Reporting on thousands of certified comic book sales daily, gpa is the only service that offers the level of depth and analysis required in todays fastmoving comic book market. Comic book grading the basics of grading comics superworld. Grading is the term used for the assessment of the condition of a particular comic book. We are teaming up with wolf pack comics and doing a 9.
We accept payment made by credit card, personal check, money order or we can send you an invoice via paypal using your paypal email address. A fingerprint on an otherwise perfect gloss, or any gloss wear on the spine, takes it down from mint. 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. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading. A comic must be relatively complete to be successfully restored. Types of damage that place a comic in fr range include. 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. If youve ever wanted to know about how to judge the condition of your comics this video is for you. The newest and second most popular comic book grading company. 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. 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. Then, they will put in a protective sleeve and seal it. This is part one of key issues guide to comic book grading. Thinkwave educator premium is for teachers who want a fullfeatured gradebook with 100 gb online storage.
In the example above carnage part one is not part of the title. Even professional grading services like cgc, cbcs, and pgx acknowledge that the same book may not always. Mar 27, 2020 when grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover. A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade. The hobby gets very petty when youre comic book grading near mint to gem mint comic books. Cbcs believes that everyone should have free access to the information our graders use to determine the grade of a book the only comic grading company to do so your books. The same as tan to offwhite, but the center of the pages are darker. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. You can also connect with others in the comic industry to further and enhance everyones comic experience. In rare cases, a comic book will look much better than the given grade. Professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality.
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. Easily search titles such as amazing spiderman, batman, xmen and the black panther. These comic grading services will grade a comic and then seal the comic in a hard plastic case that displays the assigned grade. Submit your books pgx comics pgx comic grading services.
If you are unsure what the title is, look at the indicia small block of. Gpa for cgc comics is the worlds first analysis and reporting service for online auction and dealer comic book sales. Use an allpoints grading system or a flexible grading system that combines points, letter grades, check, check plus, and custom. The company was launched in early 2000 and has since gone on to become a notable. There are four ways for collectors to submit their comics for grading.
Egs european grading service halo certification pgx professional grading experts vault 60 day comic grading mcg midwest comic grading. Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value. It is the first independent and impartial third party grading service for comic books. Sell my comic books presents a basic guide to comic book grading. Dick ayers celebrates 64 years as a comic book artist at albany comic con attention nostomania members. Since 1996 with your help we have given away well over 2,000,000 comics to the kids for free we use grading standards and definitions we personally helped redefine may 1999 for bob overstreet in his overstreets comic book grading guide and overstreets comic book price guide. The majority of comics people find in their attic or basement, at an auction, storage unit, or garage sale are published by marvel or dc. Certified guaranty company, also known as cgc, is a sarasota, florida comic book grading service. You then hand the book over to them, and it gets sent off to be graded.
The term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in. The learn to grade comic books course is the most comprehensive course of its kind. With new expanded information, it remains the definitive reference for industrystandard comic book grading procedures. Take a close look, ideally with a magnifying glass, and make careful notes of any apparent damage, including. His videos are well worth your time, especially if you are considering investing in comics or sending comics to cgc to be graded. Grading is the process of evaluating the condition and consequent value of a comic book. Books that are coverless, but are otherwise complete, will receive a grade of 0. The best grade a comic book can achieve with this page quality is 7. Even professional grading services like cgc, cbcs, and pgx acknowledge that the same book may not always receive the same grade if it is. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. For books that have a signature witness, they are sealed with a special label. This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a. The comicbases free edition is the simplest way to track collections of up to 500 comics and includes data on over 875,000 comic listings. Preventative restoration, widely used and accepted by collectors, consists of nonadditive restoration on a book with one or two major defects.
How to grade your comics comic book grading labels. 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. Originally produced in conjunction with the first edition of the overstreet comic book grading guide, the owl or overstreets whiteness level card is a comic book grading tool used to evaluate paper color on the reverse side is the one or overstreets numerical equivalent card, which translates the traditional letter grades into their equivalent values on a 100point. 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. In recent years, grading criteria have become even tighter, especially in silver and bronze age books, due to their higher survival rate. As always, your slots are assigned as orders come in and if your book grades higher than 9. This plastic case forever seals your comic, unless you destroy the case to extract the comic. Thinkwave educator is great for solo teachers who want a basic, free gradebook.
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. 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 purposes. Comic grading is the process of encasing a comic book in a plastic case. Why should the factors that influence the grade on your book be a mystery. Back in 2012 or so, i discovered graded comics from cgc comics. A spine split of up to 23 the length of the book, a missing back cover provided the front cover is still attached, severe water damage or residue damage. The official overstreet comic book grading guide 2nd edition by robert m. In fact, stephen is the creator of the 10 point numeric grading scale used throughout the comic collecting and investing community. Since 1996 with your help we have given away well over 2,000,000 comics to the kids for free we use grading standards and definitions we personally helped redefine may 1999 for bob overstreet in his overstreets comic book grading guide. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it.
When grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover. Feb 03, 2016 this is part one of key issues guide to comic book grading. Professional grading experts llc, aka pgx, and cbcs, also provide third party grading. In these rare cases, a check mark will be placed on the label by the numerical grade. You can ship it to them or take it to a convention where they will be at and they will tell you what grade it is considered to be. For one, if you have a really valuable book, it offers a form of protection. Light tan to cream similar to light tan to offwhite, but the center of each page exhibits a cream color, while the edges are darker.
At you will not only be able to check on comic book prices using our free comic book price guide, but you can also add comic books to your collection to track their progress over time. Cgc is an independent member of the certified collectibles group of companies. 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. But as a rule of thumb, as im deciding which comics to submit for grading i always estimate the true cost of. Grading is an inherently subjective process and there will always be small differences in opinion. Top websites about best comic book grading company. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry. Cgc comics guaranty company is a business that will grade your comic book for you, for a price. 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. The collectors condition is offering free for a limited time only to nostomania members an exclusive opportunity to signup and receive actual working samples of our revolutionary comic book raw grading labels to try out.
The best way to understand why a specific comic book received a check mark designation is to refer to the graders notes. In it, i walk you step by step through 27 comics at every grade level from 0. Additionally, some comics are slabbed by cgc, cbcs, or pgx. The oldest and largest service is provided by comics guaranty, llc, aka cgc. Weve graded hundreds of thousands of comics over the last 35 years.
Dark colored pages that exhibit a uniform tint from edges to middle. A guide to grading the comic book price guide for great. The standard comic book grading system that is widely used today is the one developed in the official overstreet comic book grading guide. See more ideas about comic book grading, comics and comic books. Or read our free, online comic book price guides, focusing on each character, to determine their current market value. Thirdparty grading services exist that will grade and encapsulate comics for you. The ultimate authority delivers the right grade every time grading comic books is the key to successful comic book collecting, and now the leading expert on comic books, robert m. Mar 16, 2020 lets have a discussion around which comic book grading company is the best. 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. Lets have a discussion around which comic book grading company is the best.
This really doesnt matter to you if all you want to do is sell an old collection you came into. 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 certification service cbcs was started by professional comic book hobbyists and. The number 1 free online comic book community featuring a comic book price guide database, friends, lists, blogs, and more. 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 longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. Numerous collectors and comic fans will purchase coverless comics to either read or to obtain a filler copy of a book for their collection. Comicbase, the worlds leading comic book management software program, is now available at its most affordable price everfree.
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