Comic book grading system

While there is a standard industryrecognized grading system in place, it is ultimately a qualitative process. You also benefit from a 14 businessday maximum turnaround time for your comics. Cover shows significant wear, and may be loose or even detached at one staple. The condition generally results from a rapid change in. To grade a comic, you need to take in to consideration a number of factors before being able to assess the correct grade. I got tired of using standard labels, cutting, taping, searching, and wasting time. We have an industryproven system in place that emphasizes an attention to detail in every book we grade. Many observers tie in the growth of the direct market distribution system and comic book specialty shops to the general acceptance of.

Cgcs restoration grading scale is a transparent system that is much more descriptive and accurate than before. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. The complete cat grading system is detailed in the comic art trends price guide grading companion. In this installment we will take a look at comic book certification services cbcs. When buying a graded comic, be sure that it meets your understanding of the grading term. A guide to grading the comic book price guide for great. You can think of the grade of a comic book like a grade on a report card. 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. Bends, folds, or dents that warp the shape or surface of the book, but dont affect the color. In recent years, grading criteria have become even tighter, especially in silver and bronze age books, due to their higher survival rate. The basic grading scale, also known as letter grades, uses the grades from near mint highest to poor lowest nm near mint.

One of the important elements of the grading system i am proposing is that it must intuitively feel correct. The most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading. You then hand the book over to them, and it gets sent off to be graded. There are grades in between these basic grades such as finevery fine, but we want this to be a general easy. There are 14 basic conditions that a comic book could fall under.

Submit comics for grading and signature authentication, no membership required. Take a close look, ideally with a magnifying glass, and make careful notes of any apparent damage, including. 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. However, grading is an inherently subjective process and there. Grading your comic books guide revel in the detail. Our graders enter over 25 comic grading details into the system, and the system uses a grading formula to calculate the grade. What are the comic book grades sparkle city comics. The basic grading scale, also known as letter grades, uses the grades. The term grading refers to finding the condition that a comic book is in. In 2001, marvel comics withdrew from the comics code authority and established its own rating system for its publications. Both of these requirements were lacking for much of comic book history, and in the absence of a reliable method of achieving this, access to the culture was stifled and progress was delayed.

This can lead to a big disappointment, especially for anyone unfamiliar with the collectible comic market who imagines all comics, regardless of condition, have substantial value. That means what is mint to one person might not be mint to another. Learn what is the comic book rating system and how a comic book is graded with cbcs comics grading guidelines. Comic grading professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality. 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 best way to understand why a specific comic book received a check mark designation is to refer to the graders notes. Professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. 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. Preventative restoration, widely used and accepted by collectors, consists of nonadditive restoration on a book with one or two major defects. Though at times controversial, its proven grading system has become a gold standard for those looking to have their collection appraised. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on 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.

The higher the grade, the better the condition the comic book is in. The marvel rating system is a system for rating the content of comic books, with regard to appropriateness for different age groups. Bowed a condition of the covers or boards of a hard cover book. 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. A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade. Spoton grading systems is compiling the webs largest first appearance database. Egs provides graders notes on all certified services at no additional cost. Therefore, mcg is acting both as a grading unit for mcb and trying to fill a void in both affordability and availability in the world of comic book grading. The overstreet guide to grading comics latest edition. Below are the universally recognized comic grade definitions. 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. When selling a comic, be sure to take your time and seriously look at what it should be.

Egs follows the guidelines overstreet comic book grading guide in the evaluation of its comic books, as well as for definitions of condition as condition evaluation and restoration detection experts, egs inspects a wide variety of comics from every era. The term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in. 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. This condition applies to perfectly flat comics with supple paper, a glossy cover, and no obvious wear. The overstreet guide to grading comics includes the 10point grading system including new grades 0. If your comic is in flawless or nearly flawless condition, it might merit a grade of mint or near mint. How to grade your comics comic book grading labels. Comics are graded using both descriptive categories and a 010 rating system. Cgc uses a 10point grading scale to evaluate comics. Graded blue the blue label for cbcs covers any comic that is not signed. For books that have a signature witness, they are sealed with a special label. The company was founded by alec born and steve borock, the latter earning a reputation in the community while working many years at.

While basic grading isnt that difficult, wishful thinking can often inflate grading perceptions. If so, why is a specialized grading system necessary. 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. Egs provides you with superior customer service from start to finish. Who is the most reputable to help get the most value.

Below are cgcs grading standards for each numeric grade as well as the restoration grading scale. Collectors condition comic book raw grading labels stickers. Furthermore, every cgccertified comic book undergoes a thorough restoration check by leading professionals during the certification process. Sgs grades are comparable to the third party grading companies such as cgc, cbcs, etc. Cbgc has developed a proprietary computerassisted grading system, taking most of the guesswork out of grading. Though comic book grading has been around for decades, it wasnt until 2000 that a new thirdparty grading service, cgc, burst onto the scene and revolutionized the comic book collecting industry.

View grading tutorials for other collectible types. The cpg team has put together our grading standards based upon market standards in the hobby as well as included extensive research into cgc grading. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to. When grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover. Grading was introduced in part 1 of this series comic book grading understand the options and cbcss system follows a 0. Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value. This page gives you the basic comic book grading definitions and 10 point scale, and a glossary of grading termslingo. All professional graders, whether grading coins, currency, or comics are charged with placing your items under a microscope see logo to determine their condition and therefore value. This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a general idea of the grade of your books for pricing purposes. Collector spotlight patrick bain comic art trends price. 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. Discoloration, fading, foxing, and even minor to moderate soiling is allowed.

The value of your comic book is heavily dependent on its condition. A comic book is this grade has the appearance of having been carefully handled. How to grade comic books yourself comic books 101 tutorial. I just want to get the most out of what is probably my best comic. Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book grading. What book did that officer mulligan first appear in. The best possible existing condition of that comic book.

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. Submit your books pgx comics pgx comic grading services. There are eight major grades in the comic book grading scale. A comic must be relatively complete to be successfully restored. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet guide. Other descriptors used in conjunction with the above grading scale. Bowed covers may turn inward toward the leaves or outward away from the leaves.

We closely monitor and calibrate our staff to maintain adherence to our established standards. In these rare cases, a check mark will be placed on the label by the numerical grade. The grade of a comic book is very similar to a report card grade. The worlds largest collectibles auctioneer comic books, vintage comics, original. In rare cases, a comic book will look much better than the given grade. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. Spoton grading systems, or sgs, is a series of short, multiple choice questions enabling you to grade your comic books onthespot and accurately, within seconds. 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.

A limited accumulation of minor binderyprinting defects is allowed. Cover is relatively flat with minimal surface wear beginning to show, possibly including some minute wear at corners. Comics listed for sale on comic books today are listed with one or both of two types of grades. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. Comic book grading company the affordable and reliable. In 2017 cbcs redesigned their labels, and this article will only be covering the new ones. Its only been within the last 15 years or so that the problem of bias in comic grading was amended, and it took the form of commercial grading. The standard comic book grading system that is widely used today is the one developed in the official overstreet comic book grading guide. When you go to buy a car, an antique, house, or other purchases, you want to know what kind of shape it is in. Comic book grading labels collectors condition comic. Comics graded using the either the basic grading system or the tenpoint grading scale are individually scanned and listed for sale, so when youre. I have been a comic book fan, collector, publisher pocket comicsmars attacks 1988 and graphic artist for years necessity is the mother of invention. Taking you through the steps of how to start collecting comics and the grading system we use for buying and selling comic books.