Apr 20, 2019 a comic book is given a grade depending on its condition. Comic shops also take care of their regulars and could have those price tags on them to keep speculators at baymy guess is if a regular of theirs who they knew were not a speculator would ask for said book they would discount it for them at least thats how my shop does it. A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade, like an f or poor, is bad. Due to the fragile nature of comic books, cgc does not offer a grading guarantee. Mar 12, 2018 grading was introduced in part 1 of this series comic book grading understand the options and cbcss system follows a 0. Bends, folds, or dents that warp the shape or surface of the book, but dont affect the color coackling, a bubbling effect on the cover usually caused by printing defects.
Comic books are a great way for kids to get interested and excited about reading and helps to develop. The condition of the issue has a huge influence on its 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. A comic book which looks much better than the given grade will receive a checkmark current or asterisk retired placed on the label by the numerical grade. And when it comes to comic book collecting, is cgc monopolizing the grading and slabbing market. Grading will only preserve and protect the value of an alreadyvaluable book. The most commonly used grading standard for comics is the overstreet standard one overstreet numerical equivalency grading system. This new grading scale is much more granular and will be a boon for comic collectors worldwide. There is no way to possibly predict a book s value. Pgx comic grading services pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book grading. You can think of the grade of a comic book like a g.
Cgc was the very first company to grade and slab comic books beginning in 2000. Experienced comic collectors, especially those who have submitted comics to cgc how much do offwhite or yellow pages affect the grade of the book. Premier pressing premier comic book cleaning and pressing. Grading comics in this way is perhaps more applicable to american comics as they have the distinct advantage of all being more or less the same size. Everything you need to know about submitting comic books to cgc. 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. The cover looks a lot better than my current 181 graded the same at a 6. Cgc uses a standard 10point grading scale to grade comic books. Graded blue the blue label for cbcs covers any comic that is not signed. These films rake in huge bucks at the box office, and the stars in them have padded their bank accounts and become household names. Take a close look, ideally with a magnifying glass, and make careful notes of any apparent damage, including. The grade assigned to the book should not change, unless any damage occurred postencapsulation, in which case the grade will be adjusted accordingly. Comic book certification service cbcs was started by professional comic book hobbyists and provides certification and grading services for collectors and. Cgc comic grading ultimate guide to certifying your comics.
A comic with torn pages and a bent cover is unlikely to get a very good grade. Artists, writers, and talents available at public conventions or event there are a few exceptions. Does white white comic book grading and restoration. Certified guaranty company cgc, launched in early 2000, is a comic book grading service that can help you determine whether a comic book you are considering for purchase is restored or conserved. Dealer listing certified guaranty company, llc cgc. Everything you need to know about submitting comic books to. Certified guaranty company, also known as cgc, is a sarasota, florida comic book grading service. It doesnt publicly release how it grades its comics, but as it has graded over 5 million comics since its inception, there are plenty of examples in different grades to gauge a books standard. To see the new grade in action, head over to our freshly graded. My question is how much does fading affect the grade. That does not include the time it takes for your comics to arrive at cgc, or the time it takes for them to be shipped back. Like the qwerty keyboard, it doesnt matter if there are better systems out there, this one has been around the longest and is what the vast majority of comic retailers use. These are some of the best stores to scratch your comic book itch year round. It is not the practice, however, to use numbers other than those in this scale so you wouldnt see a book graded 6.
Here, you can explore the key stages of the cgc grading process. We closely monitor and calibrate our staff to maintain adherence to our established standards. Once cgc receives your comics, it can take anywhere from 0 to 53 days depending on the level of grading service you paid for. Some comic books dont just have science in them, but actually go so far as to teach science concepts.
In it, i walk you step by step through 27 comics at every grade level from 0. Lots of factors, and a healthy dose of subjectivity, are at play and exact grades often vary some from person to person. 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. Below are cgcs grading standards for each numeric grade.
Cleaning and pressing your comic can also improve the overall grade of your comic book. Higher grading means the better condition, and as with all other things it implies higher value. The term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in. Mar 02, 2019 the term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in. Authentic signature yellow a comic book signed by someone of significance to the comic, as witnessed by an employee of cbcs, and the signature certified as authentic.
Comic book grading company the affordable and reliable. Boulder, colorado somerville, massachusetts clearwater, florida chicago, illinois norfolk, virginia denton, texas mesa, arizona goodyear, arizona. Overstreet grading definitions please note that midtown comics does not grade or consider any type of numbered grading scale when determining a comic books condition. Jul 27, 2019 the thing is comic retailers are not in this business to make comic speculators money.
Creating a comic book is a much more complicated process than people expect. 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. A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in the same apparent grade. My copy has more severe spine damage and several corner bends that break color. Lets explore everything you need to know about this comic book grading service. High grade books are great candidates, as are keys e. Actors who played more than one comic book character in their careers. The comic book landscape is as diverse as any other medium when it comes to subject matter, narrative, and artistry often times the easiest way. An a would be considered mint while an f would be given the grade poor. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. The accepted grades of condition for comics are listed below.
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. You can think of the grade of a comic book like a grade on a report card. Indepth look at the new cgc comic book restoration grading. When it comes to comic book grading services, cgc is the big daddy of them all. For the similar 10point scale used by cgc trading cards, click on trading cards above. The cgc grading process is designed to ensure consistency, accuracy and integrity while safeguarding your valuable collectibles. It is very similar to trying to find the state of the car you want to buy or any other purchase you might want to make. Yes, we can grade books but we prefer to keep our grading to comic book related materials. Its especially important for first graders because theyre still learning langua. There are a couple ways to accomplish this, but if you are looking for title specific searches, this is what you would do. Thats right, you can now submit comics to any midtown comics store location for cgc grading for a no hassle, flat price that covers your comic book, including. How much does yellowing affect a comic books cgc grade. There is no longer any guessing when it comes to determining the grade of a comic.
There are a ton of opinions on this but the basics still stand. The company was founded in 2000 and changed comic collecting and investing forever. Dec 06, 2016 the official overstreet comic book grading guide, 3rd edition by robert m overstreet and arnold t. It also guarantees a consistent grade for the comic, which makes it easier to resell. Learn about comics that are geared specifically for kids with this list of the top 18 childrens comics. Any kid whos ever devoured a title like anyas ghostor invisible emmieor a wrinkle in time. An easy way to think of this grade is that it is much like one you would receive in school. Hed give next to a listed grade to signify a book with pretty white pages, and a to denote really white books. Comic grading company has a simple and affordable pricing structure without any clubs to join.
Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. A comic book in a cgc holder is encapsulated in a new cgc holder. Does cgc have a monopoly on the comic book grading industry. Jun 28, 2019 grading is the process through which we define the condition of the comic. Landing a role in a comic book movie is a big deal in hollywood today. How to submit for cgc grading, submission center uk. Some of the subtlety of page quality grading has been lost with cgc. Comic book grading standards your new and collectible comic. To qualify, the book must still be encapsulated in its original cgc holder.
The learn to grade comic books course is the most comprehensive course of its kind. These prices are for the magazine sized comic grading of books being submitted for signature series. As a result, we do not guarantee that any specific book will come back as a certain number grade should any customer choose to grade comics ordered from midtown. Ill personally evaluate your comic using realtime market information and provide you with a detailed report via email. Here are tips on how you can grade the condition of your comic books, including info on grading terms and definitions. Im a fan of science fiction and even science fiction comic books, like iron man and fantastic four, but its the rare comic book which a. If you want the best grade possible, dont read the book as in dont open it and read up on how different new comic defects affect the grade. This 10point comic book grading scale is widely used now and you will often see people grade by simply putting the number value on the book with the classic descriptive grade. Its for a regular comic book that just requires grading. Find out about the steps the major comic book publishers go through in creating a comic book and how you can too. May 08, 2016 this 10point comic book grading scale is widely used now and you will often see people grade by simply putting the number value on the book with the classic descriptive grade. Reading is important for kids of all ages, whether theyre reading on their own or hearing stories from teachers, parents and the other adults in their lives. Midtown comics is proud to offer cgc grading services at all locations.
Youve got boxes and boxes of comic books and think theyre all worth big money, and they might be, but not every comic is equal. Cgc uses a proven, multistep process to certify comic books, magazines, concert posters and related collectibles. Cgc grades comic books, magazines, concert posters and lobby cards using a highly accurate 10point grading scale. In general, the more restoration has been performed, the less the comic is worth compared to its apparent grade value. Pgx entered the market shortly thereafter beginning in 2002. Taking into account the capricious nature of cgc grading, comics in this grade can be expected to grade out with cgc at 6. Now you can bring your comics, by appointment only, to a midtown comics store to be sent to cgcs facility. Comics can be thoughtprovoking, boundarybreaking, emotionally complex, and all the things that books without pictures can be. Feb 15, 2021 when grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover. Included in the report will be current market conditions specific to your issue including the last sale price, 90 day andor 12 month average selling price, the expected profit should you decide to sell your comic after grading and more. Once restored, a comic s value depends upon several factors. Slabbing a random nonkey book is often not likely to pay off in increased value, nor will slabbing books under 6. Most recently, cbcs joined the fray giving comic collectors a third option beginning in 2014. In 2017 cbcs redesigned their labels, and this article will only be covering the new ones.
Basically the more careful you are, the better the grade. After buying a few graded comics on ebay and starting my own certified graded comic collection, i naturally wondered what i needed to do to. Once certified by cgc, a comic book is encapsulated in a stateofthe art, tamperevident holder, providing superior protection and stability for longterm preservation. Our goal is to turn back the clock on your comic books to the day they came off the shelf. Just swing by your friendly neighborhood midtown comics to submit your books. Since cgc is on the rise, we here at midtown comics have compiled a list of frequent.
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