Learn what is the comic book rating system and how a comic book is graded with cbcs comics grading guidelines. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. The most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading. 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 ultimate upside to getting your comics cgc graded is that it greatly enhances the value of your comics if they are in really good condition. I tried calling several times, but their phone is disconnected or its been changed. For one, if you have a really valuable book, it offers a form of protection. Here is the standard grading system used for all books available on. 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. Remember you are invited to participate in the process. Submit your books pgx comics pgx comic grading services. This plastic case forever seals your comic, unless you destroy the case to extract the comic. Even professional grading services like cgc, cbcs, and pgx acknowledge that the same book may not always receive the same grade if it is. Below are cgcs grading standards for each numeric grade as well as the restoration grading scale.
Nov 15, 2017 blastoff comics owner explains why most comic book stores barely stay afloat duration. This lesson plan explains key characteristics of scale drawings. There are eight major grades in the comic book grading scale. When you submit a comic book to cgc, it is inspected before grading actually begins. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. One area we focused on is the way you submit comics and access your account information. When you have completed this course and practiced, you will be able to pick up and grade any comic, whether its one in your collection or that grail book you finally found at a con. 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. An activity challenges students to create a comic strip scale. 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.
How can scale drawing techniques be used to create a comic strip. 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. Learning how to properly grade comics and becoming certified. By requesting prescreen and specifying a minimum grade on your invoice, you will be charged grading fees only for comic books that meet or exceed your specified minimum grade. These grades allow for some more defects than higher grades. A comic must be relatively complete to be successfully restored. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. 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 comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading. These grades describe comics that have only the slightest wear. Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value. But only when the book is otherwise quite beautiful, and the tape does not in any way mar the appearance of the book.
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. This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a general idea of the grade of your books for pricing purposes. A very fine comic book appears to have been read a few times and has been handled with care. It appeared to me that they are more forgiving on the upper end of. Cgc uses a 10point grading scale to evaluate comics. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. A fr is the lowest grade a comic book can receive as long as the story and art are complete. Lets show you some examples, so you can understand what your books grade on this scale. Vault grading received my comic in september of 2016.
A nice comic with a piece up to the size of a standard postage stamp torn from one corner. When grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover. Comic grading professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality. In general, the more restoration has been performed, the less the comic is worth compared to its apparent grade value. Cgc set the standard for thirdparty comic book, magazine, lobby card and vintage photograph grading, and its independent affiliate ccs performs expert pressing, restoration and restoration removal services for comic books. We closely monitor and calibrate our staff to maintain adherence to our established standards. The oldest and most trusted comic book grading service is provided by. 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.
Pgx also offers a comparable service and directly competes with cgc in the comic book grading market. A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in the same apparent grade. 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. If youve stumbled across a treasure trove of comics, then sell my comic books is a great place to find out what you have. Who is the most reputable to help get the most value. 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. Our company has sat well over 600 world record prices selling vintage comic books at auction.
Aug 12, 2014 some comic book stores even have authorized vendors who can send your books in for you. The market value of comic books is partly determined by a grading process. In this installment we will take a look at comic book certification services cbcs. The biggest and most popular third party grading company. In general, cgc is set up the same way as ngc and pcgs as far as the grading process. Cbcs comic book certification service the newest and second most popular comic book grading company. Grading is an inherently subjective process and there will always be small differences in opinion. Grading is the second investigation a comic goes through, this time to evaluate the condition of the comic cover and pages. To grade a comic, you need to take in to consideration a number of factors before being able to assess the correct grade. Anyone who is serious about learning the intricacies of the art of comic book grading.
Preventative restoration, widely used and accepted by collectors, consists of nonadditive restoration on a book with one or two major defects. 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. A grader must comb over a book in very minute detail, looking for myriad imperfections like wear, tears, rounded corners, marks, page color e. These records are from an impartial 3rd party source gp analysis. Jul 28, 2014 well i will fully admit to clod status on that particular book as i did not notice the trimming i think that cgc was trying to get more definition to the whole restoration and conservation scales but really think that they may just end up confusing things a lot with the multiple letters and numbers that they can assign. May 19, 2016 comic book grading is one of the most important parts of speculating. Comic grading is the process of encasing a comic book in a plastic case. Cgcs restoration grading scale is a transparent system that is much more descriptive and accurate than before.
The grading notes are available here to help a submitter understand how we came to the consensus of the grade on the cbcs label. 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. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. 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.
Use our articles to identify and value the comic books in your collection, or let us do the hard work for you with a free appraisal. Once restored, a comic s value depends upon several factors. This is a fairly common trait in the very good category. The notes help future purchasers of a comic book because they notate any hidden defects that are factored into the final grade. Gp analysis lists us as a cgc the comic book grading authority online auction firm.
One of our goals for the new website is to offer an easier online experience for our customers. Im wondering how to learn to properly grade comics and to become certified by cgc or something along those lines. 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. Blastoff comics owner explains why most comic book stores barely stay afloat duration. Also, pressing is a very delicate process, so please be aware that it may add time to the express and next day grading services. The same general ideas apply when dealing with comic books and the cgc grading scale.
Comic book grades are given to a book reflecting the quality of printing. Ive done some searches and i havent been able to come up with anything, so any. Comic book grading basics what you need to know by admin on thursday, october 15th, 2009 4 comments the grade or condition of a comic book is the most important determination of value outside of the actual title and issue number. Collectors get excited when they find that hot book or one of their grails. Overstreet comic book grading guide first edition 1992 the confident collector 5. In the case of comics in vg or higher grades, the book is already an attractive. No bindery tears are allowed, although on golden age books bindery tears of up. All sellers listing items on this site are required to use this grading system for a standard method understood by all. Learn more about the cgc grading scale and see comparisons. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry. In recent years, grading criteria have become even tighter, especially in silver and bronze age books, due to their higher survival rate.
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. Books in this grade are almost always creased, scuffed, abraded and. Take a close look, ideally with a magnifying glass. We are currently migrating data to our new system and conducting tests, and we are really excited for you to try it out. I just want to get the most out of what is probably my best comic. The learn to grade comic books course is the most comprehensive course of its kind.
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