In this installment we will take a look at comic book certification services cbcs. 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. Gp analysis lists us as a cgc the comic book grading authority online auction firm. Ive seen a number of books from cbcs that id say are slightly overgraded when compared to cgc. The oldest and most trusted comic book grading service is provided by. There are different systems used by different price guides and grading companies. The learn to grade comic books course is the most comprehensive course of its kind. The ratings displayed are the average ratings for the. Below are cgcs grading standards for each numeric grade as well as the restoration grading scale. Nov 09, 2012 my personal opinion on grading comics.
Theoretically, the higher the grade of the book, the more desirable the book will be. Here, collectors could easily compare and discuss grading with dealers. Comic book realm use our database to track your comic. Comic grading company has a simple and affordable pricing structure without any clubs to join. Comic grading is the process of encasing a comic book in a plastic case. Learning how to properly grade comics and becoming certified. If we dont, add it to your want list and well notify you when its in stock. Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book grading. If youre looking for a hard to find back issue, we probably have it. Also, pressing is a very delicate process, so please be aware that it may add time to the express and next day grading services. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. 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. I would be interested in scans of any cgced books that have page colorgrade combinations not found on the chart for future inclusion.
These records are from an impartial 3rd party source gp analysis. Slabbing a random nonkey book is often not likely to pay off in increased value, nor will slabbing books under 6. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. A nice comic with a piece up to the size of a standard postage stamp torn from one corner. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. There are grades in between these basic grades such as finevery fine, but we want this to be a general easytofollow comic grading. 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 term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in.
These grades describe comics that are in somewhat worse condition than the very good grades. Although the actual process of grading a comic isnt really that difficult, it can be a bit intimidating for beginners. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry. 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. Is there writing on it, are there tears or discoloration.
The condition generally results from a rapid change in. It appeared to me that they are more forgiving on the upper end of the scales. 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 best way to understand why a specific comic book received a check mark designation is to refer to the graders notes. The biggest and most popular third party grading company. Books with brittle pages cannot grade higher than 3. Digital imaging for comic books submitted under any of cgcs grading and service tiers. But theres also this social contract that exists which allows buyers to put more faith in a book graded by cgc because of the confidence their reputation brings to the table. 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. In the case of comics in vg or higher grades, the book is already an attractive item. Remember you are invited to participate in the process. The basic grading scale, also known as letter grades, uses the grades from near mint highest to poor lowest.
The overstreet guide to grading comics 2016 edition. The 8 ages of comic books by alex grand comic book. Cgcs restoration grading scale is a transparent system that is much more descriptive and accurate than before. Grading from australia cgc registry cgc comic book.
A comic must be relatively complete to be successfully restored. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. Some people will not grade a comic missing its cover, but some give incomplete comics a score between 0. A book with offwhite to white pages sold for the highest value. A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade, like an f or poor, is bad. 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 supplies auctionstore venues third party grading. Iconic comics grading is based on the overstreet grading guide. In rare cases, a comic book will look much better than the given grade. For books that have a signature witness, they are sealed with a special label. Books in this grade are almost always creased, scuffed, abraded and soiled, but readable. Several events have impacted grading over the years.
Comics price guide was the first online price guide for comic books back in 1995. Comic book grading company the affordable and reliable. You can think of the grade of a comic book like a grade on a report card. Ive done some searches and i havent been able to come up with anything, so any. We closely monitor and calibrate our staff to maintain adherence to our established standards. Aug 12, 2014 some comic book stores even have authorized vendors who can send your books in for you. Comic book certification service cbcs was started by professional comic book hobbyists with the intent of protecting our fellow hobbyists when buying and selling comic books. Chuck rozanskis grading standards mile high comics. Comic book grading part 1 certified guaranty company. 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. In these rare cases, a check mark will be placed on the label by the numerical grade. High grade books are great candidates, as are keys e. Bowed covers may turn inward toward the leaves or outward away from the leaves. In 2001, marvel comics withdrew from the comics code authority and established its own rating system for its publications.
They were adopted by the bookselling community and are still in use today. The advantages of the collectors condition comic book raw grading labeling system is. You can also connect with others in the comic industry to further and enhance everyones comic experience. In recent years, grading criteria have become even tighter, especially in silver and bronze age books, due to their higher survival rate. With new expanded information, it remains the definitive reference for industrystandard comic book grading. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. Cgc uses a 10point grading scale to evaluate comics. Key collector comics free mobile app is the worlds first database and price guide to focus exclusively on key issues. Once restored, a comic s value depends upon several factors. Were sorry but doesnt work properly without javascript enabled. Bowed a condition of the covers or boards of a hard cover book. The real freakin comic book men greg eide has been selling comic books as his livelihood for over 42 years. Cbcs comic book certification service the newest and second most popular comic book grading company.
This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a general idea of the grade of your books for pricing purposes. The first has to be the arrival of comic book conventions. In general, the more restoration has been performed, the less the comic is worth compared to its apparent grade value. 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. 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. Comic book grading labels collectors condition comic book.
The marvel rating system is a system for rating the content of comic books, with regard to appropriateness for different age groups. Comic book grades are given to a book reflecting the quality of printing, storage, and upkeep of a particular book. Catalog your inventory or build a wish list of key issues. We offer modern, bronze age, silver age, and golden age comics. The set of terms below were proposed in 1949 by ab bookmans weekly. 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. All sellers listing items on this site are required to use this grading system for a standard method understood by all. A highly consistent, descriptive and illustrated extensively grading guide on the web which will be a free service to the collecting community. The tenpoint grading scale assigns grades ranging from 10. A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in the same apparent grade. A fr is the lowest grade a comic book can receive as long as the story and art are complete.
As far as comic book history, comic books have been aroundfor a very long time. Pgx also offers a comparable service and directly competes with cgc in the comic book grading market. 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. Preventative restoration, widely used and accepted by collectors, consists of nonadditive restoration on a book with one or two major defects. Consists of accurate highresolution images of the front and back of the book, shown encapsulated in its cgc holder. A book with cream to offwhite sold for the third lowest value, with an offwhite and offwhite to white selling at the two lowest values. Theoretically sequential art goes back to the ancient egyptians, but for the sake of simplicity its good to start somewhere. The two basic systems consist of a number scale from one to ten such as the cgc uses and.
But only when the book is otherwise quite beautiful, and the tape does not in any way mar the appearance of the book. The most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading. Vault grading received my comic in september of 2016. A fr copy will have virtually no eye appeal and will display major damage. I tried calling several times, but their phone is disconnected or its been changed. Other descriptors used in conjunction with the above grading scale. As we match the sale we record the comic grading company, holderlabel type and the assigned grade. For one, if you have a really valuable book, it offers a form of protection. 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. The market value of comic books is partly determined by a grading process. A standard color coded raw grading tool that is exclusively designed for you the comic book collectorinvestor.
A larger amount of tape is also allowed in this grade. Cbcs team members all share in the love of our hobby and the medium. This is a fairly common trait in the very good category. Even though youd think cgc should have comic grading in it it actually stands for certificate guaranty company. In it, i walk you step by step through 27 comics at every grade level from 0. The grade of a comic book is based on its physical condition. Cgc page quality chart here is a chart of the various cgc page colors ive come across in the wild.
Grading comics accurately is essential to their figuring out their proper value and price. Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value. 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. A grade represents the condition of a book in a way that collectors can understand. 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. The worlds largest collectibles auctioneer comic books, vintage comics. There are eight major grades in the comic book grading scale. 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. The cgc comic shop, we are a buyer and seller of comics, cgc submission center, professional grader and valuer,cgc european agent, comic locating service. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading. Here at comic burst we use two scales for assessing comic books we offer for sale. Grading is the second investigation a comic goes through, this time to evaluate the condition of the comic cover and pages.
Cgc prides itself on being an impartial comic grading service that provides a professional and impartial assessment of your comics quality. As new means that the book is in the state that it should have been in when. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet guide. 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. Comics listed for auction or buyitnow are listed using the 10 point grading scale. 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. 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. Even professional grading services like cgc, cbcs, and pgx acknowledge that the same book may not always receive the same grade if it is. We have values for any marvel, dc, image, idw, darkhorse, or dell comic book that is in your collection. Because our location is in the midwest, we feel that offers comic lovers a better choice than other grading, appraisal and brokerage services. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading. 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. Learn more about the cgc grading scale and see comparisons.
In 1837, we have the first recorded graphic novel with sequential art called the adventures of obadiah oldbuck. Here is the standard grading system used for all books available on. Overstreet comic book grading guide first edition 1992 the confident collector 5. 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. Finally, we gather supportive information about the individual sale including when and where it was sold, how the sale can be identified at the remote venue, the format of the sale auction, fixed price, etc. The premier online comics price guide free comic book values. A guide to grading the comic book price guide for great. The comic book industry tenpoint grading scale ranges from 10. Our company has sat well over 600 world record prices selling vintage comic books at auction. 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. Before a comic books value is determined, the comic book needs to have an accurate grade assigned to it. Pgx uses a similar grading scale as the prior ones we have discussed, basing theirs on the overstreet comic book grading guide.
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. Newly updated, the overstreet guide to grading comics includes the 10point grading system, as well as exhaustive descriptions of primary and split grades, examples of each grade with more than 200 fullcolor images in all, articles on storage, preservation, and restoration, a look at the independent, thirdparty grading companies, and much more. 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. The comic may be brittle and defaced by other materials such as paint and glue. This plastic case forever seals your comic, unless you destroy the case to extract the comic. I just want to get the most out of what is probably my best comic. A grader must comb over a book in very minute detail, looking for myriad imperfections like wear, tears, rounded corners, marks, page color e. Grading is an inherently subjective process and there will always be small differences in opinion. Comic book grades are given out through a company called the certified guaranty company also known as the cgc. A book with cream to offwhite fell below the median. Select what condition your comic is by using the cgc and cbcs grading scale.
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