Additionally, some comics are slabbed by cgc, cbcs, or pgx. The two main methods of describing an overall grade are numerical, and symbol. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet guide.
Here, collectors could easily compare and discuss grading with dealers. The generally accepted comic book grading scale, terms, and descriptions are as follows. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. Gradingskala comics nach land grading ist unsere leidenschaft. Comic book grading labels collectors condition comic book. Grading is the second investigation a comic goes through, this time to evaluate the condition of the comic cover and pages. All sellers listing items on this site are required to use this grading system for a standard method understood by all.
One of our goals for the new website is to offer an easier online experience for our customers. For one, if you have a really valuable book, it offers a form of protection. These comic grading services will grade a comic and then seal the comic in a hard plastic case that displays the assigned grade. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. Any amount of wear to the cover of the book must be factored into the condition and grading of the comic. I just want to get the most out of what is probably my best comic. The real freakin comic book men greg eide has been selling comic books as his livelihood for over 42 years. Likely not the only scale book youll own, but probably the only one youd need. But only when the book is otherwise quite beautiful, and the tape does not in any way mar the appearance of the book. Theoretically, the higher the grade of the book, the more desirable the book will be. A comic must be relatively complete to be successfully restored. 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. Describes a book that shows some small signs of wear but no tears on either binding or paper.
A fr is the lowest grade a comic book can receive as long as the story and art are complete. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading. Comic book grading labels collectors condition comic. We offer modern, bronze age, silver age, and golden age comics. Comic book grading part 1 certified guaranty company. Gp analysis lists us as a cgc the comic book grading authority online auction firm. Several events have impacted grading over the years. 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. You can think of the grade of a comic book like a grade on a report card. In the case of comics in vg or higher grades, the book is already an attractive.
The advantages of the collectors condition comic book raw grading labeling system is. Cbgc provides the only easy to use, online comic submission form. This company was started by steve borock, the former president of cgc so he definitely has some clout in the industry. A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in the same apparent grade. Who is the most reputable to help get the most value. 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. Cbcs comic book certification service the newest and second most popular comic book grading company. Slabbing a random nonkey book is often not likely to pay off in increased value, nor will slabbing books under 6. Its a complicated process, and if you want to know more about it you can read how it works for yourself here. Comic grading company has a simple and affordable pricing structure without any clubs to join.
When initially looking at a comic book the first thing one will notice is the cover of the book. Below the white rank, books receive ratings of offwhite to white, offwhite, a mix of tan and cream colors, and then at the bottom are the extreme cases of dark tan or brittle pages. This plastic case forever seals your comic, unless you destroy the case to extract the comic. This is a fairly common trait in the very good category. The two basic systems consist of a number scale from one to ten such as the cgc uses and. High grade books are great candidates, as are keys e. 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 biggest and most popular third party grading company. The first has to be the arrival of comic book conventions. Cgc prides itself on being an impartial comic grading service that provides a professional and impartial assessment of your comics quality. Because our location is in the midwest, we feel that offers comic lovers a better choice than other grading, appraisal and brokerage services. Grading from australia cgc registry cgc comic book. Our grading increases the value of your collectibles, protects the condition, and improves their display quality. Digital imaging for comic books submitted under any of cgcs grading and service tiers. Nov 09, 2012 my personal opinion on grading comics.
The ratings displayed are the average ratings for the. Catalog your inventory or build a wish list of key issues. Everything you need to know about submitting comic books. Select what condition your comic is by using the cgc and cbcs grading scale. We are currently migrating data to our new system and conducting tests, and we are really excited for you to try it out. A fine book approaches the condition of as new, but without being crisp. Comic grading professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality. Were sorry but doesnt work properly without javascript enabled.
After your comics arrive at cgc, up to three graders will inspect your comic before a final grade is given. Below are cgcs grading standards for each numeric grade as well as the restoration grading scale. In general, the more restoration has been performed, the less the comic is worth compared to its apparent grade value. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. I have been a comic book fan, collector, publisher pocket comicsmars attacks 1988 and graphic artist for years necessity is the mother of invention. This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a general idea of the grade of your books for pricing purposes. There are eight major grades in the comic book grading scale. Overstreet comic book grading guide first edition 1992 the confident collector 5. We closely monitor and calibrate our staff to maintain adherence to our established standards. It is considered a perfect copy and is extremely rare to find today. The learn to grade comic books course is the most comprehensive course of its kind. Before a comic books value is determined, the comic book needs to have an accurate grade assigned to it. A highly consistent, descriptive and illustrated extensively grading guide on the web which will be a free service to the collecting community.
Comic book grades are given out through a company called the certified guaranty company also known as the cgc. This book may range anywhere from poor to near mint and there is no obligation to clarify its condition. If you were to receive a grade on a book you purchased from us, after january 1, 2003, that was graded as nm that came in below 8. Cgc uses a 10point grading scale to evaluate comics. Before you ship your comics, please read the shipping information below. A grade represents the condition of a book in a way that collectors can understand. The oldest and most trusted comic book grading service is provided by certified guaranty company llc, more commonly known as cgc. Preventative restoration, widely used and accepted by collectors, consists of nonadditive restoration on a book with one or two major defects. Once restored, a comics value depends upon several factors.
Please note that we can only ship up to 30 books in one box so you will need to take this into account when submitting larger orders. Then, simply register or login to start the submission process. 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. Also, pressing is a very delicate process, so please be aware that it may add time to the express and next day grading services.
New comic book heat press pressed comics for better. Numerous collectors and comic fans will purchase coverless comics to either read or to obtain a filler copy of a book for their collection. Unlike a lot of scale books and i have ownedown several, this one seems to flow well from beginning to end, starting with patterns that one is more likely to know and moving forward in a logical direction to more complicated scales and those less likely encountered. Even though youd think cgc should have comic grading in it it actually stands for certificate guaranty company.
These records are from an impartial 3rd party source gp analysis. I tried calling several times, but their phone is disconnected or its been changed. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. A book with white pages ranks at the top of the color scale. 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. Grading comics accurately is essential to their figuring out their proper value and price. Comics price guide was the first online price guide for comic books back in 1995. The online form will allow you to easily submit any number of comics, and then you can print a copy of the form to be included in your shipment. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. A grader must comb over a book in very minute detail, looking for myriad imperfections like wear, tears, rounded corners, marks, page color e. Jul 16, 2014 a few weeks ago, i attended a local comic convention here in vancouver and i heard about the new company comic book certification service. For books that have a signature witness, they are sealed with a special label. A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade, like an f or poor, is bad.
In this installment we will take a look at comic book certification services cbcs. 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. I have heard from the lcbs that they think cbcs is grading. Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book grading. 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.
You then hand the book over to them, and it gets sent off to be graded. The grade of a comic book is based on its physical condition. There are different systems used by different price guides and grading companies. 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 grading company the affordable and reliable. Remember you are invited to participate in the process. 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 is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value.
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. 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. Gemstone mint is in every way a flawless copy of a 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. Most professional comic book graders are in doubt if. Chuck rozanskis grading standards mile high comics.
In recent years, grading criteria have become even tighter, especially in silver and bronze age books, due to their higher survival rate. In an effort to highlight the most well received comic book trades, weve set up a real time list of the best comic book trades of the past three months. Submit your books pgx comics pgx comic grading services. Well be taking a look at their grading scale for the. Comic book realm use our database to track your comic. No bindery tears are allowed, although on golden age books bindery tears of up. Cgc grading scale cgc uses a 10point grading scale to evaluate comics. Books that are coverless, but are otherwise complete, will receive a grade of 0. Comic book grades are given to a book reflecting the quality of printing, storage, and upkeep of a particular book.
The premier online comics price guide free comic book values. The term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in. Key collector comics free mobile app is the worlds first database and price guide to focus exclusively on key issues. 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. Learn what is the comic book rating system and how a comic book is graded with cbcs comics grading guidelines. If youre looking for a hard to find back issue, we probably have it. In it, i walk you step by step through 27 comics at every grade level from 0. 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. Comic grading is the process of encasing a comic book in a plastic case. Although the actual process of grading a comic isnt really that difficult, it can be a bit intimidating for beginners. Iconic comics grading is based on the overstreet grading guide. We have values for any marvel, dc, image, idw, darkhorse, or dell comic book that is in your collection.
Consists of accurate highresolution images of the front and back of the book, shown encapsulated in its cgc holder. 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. If we dont, add it to your want list and well notify you when its in stock. The comic book industry tenpoint grading scale ranges from 10. Or are you just interested in the world of collecting. Pgx was established in 2002 to meet the growing demand for impartial, thirdparty grading and continues to be the fastest, most affordable grading service in the industry. Everything you need as a collector of valuable comics or highlysought after issues including speculation books is combined into one resource. The most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading. Here is the standard grading system used for all books available on. A fr copy will have virtually no eye appeal and will display major damage. Vault grading received my comic in september of 2016. A standard color coded raw grading tool that is exclusively designed for you the comic book collectorinvestor. One area we focused on is the way you submit comics and access your account information. That way, anyone can compare their raw or slabbed books to consistent grading standards.
The book may have been opened and read, but there are no defects to the book, jacket or pages. I know this is a religious debate, however i am hoping it can stay objective. A nice comic with a piece up to the size of a standard postage stamp torn from one corner. The cover of a comic is what typically takes the most abuse. I got tired of using standard labels, cutting, taping, searching, and wasting time. 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. These grading services assign grades on the same tenpoint grading scale used by mycomicshop. Useful for when you are unsure of the grade of a book or do not wish to grade the comic.
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