We actually believe that all our books in our nm category are at least 9. If youve ever wanted to know about how to judge the condition of your comics. Ccs offers a screening service to determine whether your comic book is a suitable candidate for pressing, restoration or restoration removal. Comic grading 101 with cgc live stream comic books youtube. 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. The best possible existing condition of a comic book. Graders notes are usually provided for a small fee or every so often for free to the submitter it really depends on what you ask for when you submit the books for grading. Introducing the collectors condition comic book raw grading labeling system. 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. Raw books, cgccertified books and non cgccertified books may be evaluated by ccs. Weve been selling comics since 1961 our first sale. The ccs screening service determines whether pressing should be performed. Only the most expensive books should ever be considered for page treatment.
Join me for a discussion about comic book grading with two representatives from cgc. A how to grade comics video for beginning comic collectors. When grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover. Sure, you can go with pgx or vault grading services, but no one else comes close to the prestige and recognition of a cgcgraded comic, and cgcgraded comic books sell for better prices than other grading services. This video is not made for kids, this video is for adult collectors how to grade comic books yourself comic books 101 tutorial for. High grade comic books may 27, 2016 scott robertson 15 comments in this part two of four in the graders notes article series, we will explore high grade comic books and the graders notes from cbcs for those books. Inks are bright with high reflectivity and a minimum of fading.
It is very rare especially in older comic books pre1990 to discover a comic in either mint or gem mint condition. I just want to get the most out of what is probably my best comic. 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. These comic grading services will grade a comic and then seal the comic in a hard plastic case that displays the assigned grade. Everything you need to know about submitting comic books. All your favorite titles from marvel, dc comics, image, valiant, and more can be found here. If cgccertified books submitted for screening are rejected, ccs will return the book in. 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. Take a close look, ideally with a magnifying glass, and make careful notes of any apparent damage, including. 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. Back in 2012 or so, i discovered graded comics from cgc comics guaranty corporation an independent third party that professionally grades a comic book and securely encapsulates said comic in a sealed plastic slab with a label that details key information and the actual grade of the comic whew, thats a mouthful.
Whether it be comic books, sports memorabilia, cards, coins, action figures and more, grading and encapsulation have been a great way for collectors and investors alike to preserve their items condition. This is an attempt to show the inexperienced collector a rough idea of what constitutes good, fine, near mint etc using 90s amazing spiderman. Bleaching and other treatments can be used, but are expensive, frowned upon and not very effective. Useful for when you are unsure of the grade of a book or do not wish to grade the comic.
If youre a serious collector or have a lot of comic books you are learning to sell, it will pay to become efficient and accurate at grading your comic books. Comic book grading labels collectors condition comic. Originally produced in conjunction with the first edition of the overstreet comic book grading guide, the owl or overstreets whiteness level card is a comic book grading tool used to evaluate paper color on the reverse side is the one or overstreets numerical equivalent card, which translates the traditional letter grades into their equivalent values on a 100point numerical. Based on the accepted industrywide standard 10 point condition, numerical grading scale. Chuck rozanskis grading standards mile high comics. The process of grading and encasing collectibles has been a staple in many collector communities for years. I got tired of using standard labels, cutting, taping, searching, and wasting time. Again, this typically will not effect grading of a comic book. May 19, 2016 once the books are graded, both cgc and pgx provide notes to explain how certain flaws affected the grade of the submitted books.
Funko pop grading vinyl vault grading system vvgs my. Comic books in pr condition may be missing up to 4 pages two spreads of story pages or display severe damage that affects the readability of the book. Comic book grading part 1 non professional grading youtube. Who is the most reputable to help get the most value. Avid comics collector brian pants christman and pro retailer chris eberle wildpig. This is part one of key issues guide to comic book grading. In this installment we will take a look at comic book certification services cbcs. Comic book grading first down comic books teaching comics youtube comic strips comic book learning comic grading tutorial lesson 27 7. The official overstreet comic book grading guide, 3rd. 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. Bindery tears must be less than 116 on silver age and later books, although on golden age books bindery tears of up to 14 have been noted. These comic grading services will grade a comic and then seal the comic in a hard plastic case that displays the.
The real freakin comic book men greg eide has been selling comic books as his livelihood for over 42 years. Additionally, some comics are slabbed by cgc, cbcs, or pgx. Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book grading. Comic book grading company the affordable and reliable. You can easily identify a slabbed comic because the grades will include the name of the grading service, such as cgc 9. Value of books with sketches vary in a similar manner as signed books, and value for either will depend on the creators contribution. The comic may be brittle and defaced by other materials such as paint and glue. If ccs believes that pressing would not benefit the comic, you will pay only the screening fee. After buying a few graded comics on ebay and starting my own certified. In recent years, grading criteria have become even tighter, especially in silver and bronze age books, due to their higher survival rate. For cheaper comics graded on the basic grading scale, we show you a stock image of what that issues cover looks like, but we dont scan the exact book being offered. This plastic case forever seals your comic, unless you destroy the case to extract the comic. 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. Lets have a discussion around which comic book grading company is the best.
Mar 27, 2020 the market value of comic books is partly determined by a grading process. The company was founded by alec born and steve borock, the latter earning a reputation in the community while working many years at. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. Rare comic books stolen at comic book fair clickable text staff mar 27, 2020 updated 19 hrs ago crime stoppers of the quadcities is enlisting the publics help in identifying a man who walked away with two rare comic books at a recent comic book fair. In the overstreet grading guide no bindery tears are allowed in 9. A comic that has not been slabbed is sometimes referred to as a raw comic, which means a regular comic not encased in a plastic slab. A series of short questions with multiple choices enables you to grade your comic books onthespot, accurately, within minutes. Overstreet grading definitions comic books superhero. The learn to grade comic books course is the most comprehensive course of its kind. 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. One way comic books are graded is on the basic grading scale, which runs from mint the highest, through near mint, very fine, fine, very good, good, fair, and poor the lowest. But as a rule of thumb, as im deciding which comics to submit for grading i always estimate the true cost of.
Books in this condition pre1980 are virtually nonexistent. 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. Apr 21, 2020 a series of short questions with multiple choices enables you to grade your comic books onthespot, accurately, within minutes. The one place to see tons of examples, the written criteria for each grade, and picture examples is the overstreet grading guide. About youtuber everything you need to know about comics. Grades are comparable to the third party grading companies such as cgc, cbcs, etc. An extremely exceptional comic with only very minute printing or bindery defects.
This is an very small sampling as ive only had about 10 books cross graded overall, but most of the time the books have come back with the same grade but for these 2 exceptions. Some have complained about the inconsistency in cgc comics grading. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry. Except where noted, we cannot guarantee that comics we sell will. For as long as there have been comic book conventions and long before grading companies existed, fans have been getting their comic books signed by artists and writers. Comic book grading labels collectors condition comic book. Another way is on a tenpoint grading scale from 10. 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. These grading services assign grades on the same tenpoint grading scale used by mycomicshop. Everything you need to know about submitting comic books to. Some people will not grade a comic missing its cover, but some give incomplete comics a score between 0. You can now take pride in showingoff your comic book collection to your friends at home, dealers, at trade shows or in the shop. Verified signature program how vsp work cbcs comics.
Books with brown or brittle pages are usually not good candidates either. Submit your books pgx comics pgx comic grading services. Comic grading is the process of encasing a comic book in a plastic case. In it, i walk you step by step through 27 comics at every grade level from 0. We closely monitor and calibrate our staff to maintain adherence to our established standards. Even though them comic will look better, its page quality will still rate a lower grade. For one, if you have a really valuable book, it offers a form of protection. Collectors grumble and many feel forced to use cgc because it is the dominant player and it seems like the only game in town. 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. Jul 16, 2014 collectors grumble and many feel forced to use cgc because it is the dominant player and it seems like the only game in town. I am going to talk about my thoughts on grading mid grade comic books and the wide subjective grade range a single book can get. 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. The verified signature program is a cbcs exclusive service that authenticates unwitnessed signatures that have been obtained by collectors over the years.
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