The book may have been opened and read, but there are no defects to the book, jacket or pages. Grading of comics can be subjective, although there are basic agreed upon standards within the industry. 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. 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 general, the more restoration has been performed, the less the comic is worth compared to its apparent grade value. Covers may have minor surface wear with possible minor creasing. The advantages of the collectors condition comic book raw grading labeling system is. These records are from an impartial 3rd party source gp analysis. A guide to grading the comic book price guide for great. There is a numeric system which corresponds to a titled grading system. The market value of comic books is partly determined by a grading process. Because our location is in the midwest, we feel that offers comic lovers a better choice than other grading, appraisal and brokerage services. When restoration is detected, it is fully noted on the certification.
Grading your comic books guide revel in the detail comics. Grading is the term used for the assessment of the condition of a particular comic book. Useful for when you are unsure of the grade of a book or do not wish to grade the comic. Cover shows significant wear, and may be loose or even detached at one staple. 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 company was founded by alec born and steve borock, the latter earning a reputation in the community while working many years at. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. A fr copy will have virtually no eye appeal and will display major damage. How to grade your comics comic book grading labels. 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.
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. We are currently migrating data to our new system and conducting tests, and we are really excited for you to try it out. Comic grading is the process of encasing a comic book in a plastic case. 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. The biggest and most popular third party grading company.
Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in the same apparent grade. 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. A grader must comb over a book in very minute detail, looking for myriad imperfections like wear, tears, rounded corners, marks, page color e. Comic grading professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality.
Chuck rozanskis grading standards mile high comics. Other descriptors used in conjunction with the above grading scale. Grading your comic books guide revel in the detail. A fine book approaches the condition of as new, but without being crisp. Books in this grade are almost always creased, scuffed, abraded and soiled, but readable. Before you ship your comics, please read the shipping information below. A brief video showing the 4 comic books im going to send off to cgc to have graded. Our company has sat well over 600 world record prices selling vintage comic books at auction. You then hand the book over to them, and it gets sent off to be graded. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it.
Comic book grades are given to a book reflecting the quality of printing, storage, and upkeep of a particular book. Take a close look, ideally with a magnifying glass, and make careful notes of any apparent damage, including. Comic book grading labels collectors condition comic book. Wwc welcomes the arrival of the newest grading company. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. Grading is the second investigation a comic goes through, this time to evaluate the condition of the comic cover and pages. 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. Certified guaranty company cgc is a leading thirdparty grading service for comic books, magazines and other collectibles. A comic in fn condition is considered above average but still displays some wear. Comic book hot picks for 3420, cgc comment and some new vintage pick ups duration. In rare cases, a comic book will look much better than the given grade.
Certified guaranty company, also known as cgc, is a sarasota, florida comic book grading service. Several events have impacted grading over the years. 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. A comic must be relatively complete to be successfully restored. Then, simply register or login to start the submission process. Vault grading provides grading, pressing, encapsulation, valuation, and screening services to comic book collectors. These grading terms are only used on second hand stock. Well, it appears there is another thirdparty comic book grading company trying to establish credibility in the comic book industry. Comic grading company has a simple and affordable pricing structure without any clubs to join. Furthermore, every cgccertified comic book undergoes a thorough restoration check by leading professionals during the certification process.
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. I got tired of using standard labels, cutting, taping, searching, and wasting time. Dealers and graders may often disagree with some grading classifications. This book may range anywhere from poor to near mint and there is no obligation to clarify its condition. Underground comic inspired by the romance comics of the 1950s satirizing and lampooning the free love and swinger cultures of the 1960s and 70s. Once restored, a comic s value depends upon several factors.
One area we focused on is the way you submit comics and access your account information. Comic book grading part 2 certified guaranty company duration. This is a fairly common trait in the very good category. This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a general idea of the grade of your books for pricing purposes. 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. Cgc uses a 10point grading scale to evaluate comics.
Nov 09, 2012 comic book hot picks for 3420, cgc comment and some new vintage pick ups duration. 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 receives. This plastic case forever seals your comic, unless you destroy the case to extract the comic. Theoretically, the higher the grade of the book, the more desirable the book will be. For books that have a signature witness, they are sealed with a special label. Grading is an inherently subjective process and there will always be small differences in opinion. 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. But only when the book is otherwise quite beautiful, and the tape does not in any way mar the appearance of the book.
In recent years, grading criteria have become even tighter, especially in silver and bronze age books, due to their higher survival rate. Gp analysis lists us as a cgc the comic book grading authority online auction firm. Comic book grading company the affordable and reliable. A grade represents the condition of a book in a way that collectors can understand. A larger amount of tape is also allowed in this grade. 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. There are eight major grades in the comic book grading scale.
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. Cbgc provides the only easy to use, online comic submission form. 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. Before a comic books value is determined, the comic book needs to have an accurate grade assigned to it. The most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading. 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.
Insurance is required on all orders and should be purchased based upon the fair market value of your books as determined by you. A nice comic with a piece up to the size of a standard postage stamp torn from one corner. 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 worlds largest collectibles auctioneer comic books, vintage comics, original and animation art. Once certified by cgc, a comic book is encapsulated in a stateofthe art, tamperevident holder, providing superior protection and stability for longterm preservation. Cbcs comic book certification service the newest and second most popular comic book grading company. We closely monitor and calibrate our staff to maintain adherence to our established standards. In this installment we will take a look at comic book certification services cbcs. 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. Books with brittle pages cannot grade higher than 3. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading.
While cgc gets a lot of attentionbecoming synonymous with comic book grading in much the same way that xerox is synonymous with photocopyingpgx has managed to hold its own over the years despite operating in the shadow of its counterpart. Preventative restoration, widely used and accepted by collectors, consists of nonadditive restoration on a book with one or two major defects. Even professional grading services like cgc, cbcs, and pgx acknowledge that the same book may not always receive the same grade if it is. Here is a brief guide to some of the terms used when grading a comic. Also, pressing is a very delicate process, so please be aware that it may add time to the express and next day grading services. By requesting prescreen and specifying a minimum grade on your invoice, you will be charged grading fees only for comic books that. I just want to get the most out of what is probably my best comic. Comic book grading labels collectors condition comic. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet guide. I have been a comic book fan, collector, publisher pocket comicsmars attacks 1988 and graphic artist for years necessity is the mother of invention.
Standard turnaround time is approximately 30 business days or you can choose a faster service. 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 collecting community. We are open during this difficult time but we are running on a different schedule to best protect everyone. A few weeks ago, i attended a local comic convention here in vancouver and i heard about the new company comic book certification service. A standard color coded raw grading tool that is exclusively designed for you the comic book collectorinvestor. The first has to be the arrival of comic book conventions. In general, the eye appeal is somewhat reduced due to either an accumulation. One of our goals for the new website is to offer an easier online experience for our customers. 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. A slightly aboveaverage collectible with several moderate defects. When grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover. A fr is the lowest grade a comic book can receive as long as the story and art are complete. Youre here to decide if having your comics graded by cgc or another grading. 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.
Discoloration, fading, foxing, and even minor to moderate soiling is allowed. High grade cgc comic books for sale at the certified comic shop. The two main methods of describing an overall grade are numerical, and symbol. This company was started by steve borock, the former president of cgc so he definitely has some clout in the industry. 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. Fine fn the basic minimum for most collectors but depends on your budget.
Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value. Cgcs restoration grading scale is a transparent system that is much more descriptive and accurate than before. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry. Who is the most reputable to help get the most value. Description universal blue a standard comic book universal blue no grade ng a comic book that is in such poor condition that cgc will not give it a grade, but merely verify that it is an actual original comic book. The overstreet guide to grading comics 2016 edition. Cgc is an independent member of the certified collectibles group of companies. For one, if you have a really valuable book, it offers a form of protection. Young lust 1970 company and sonsprint mintlast gasp. 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.
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