The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading. Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value. Each pack comes with 100 pre printed labels that have a complete grading range from the left column 0. A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in the same apparent grade. The easiest way to determine if your comics fall into the good category is by looking at the cover price. This book has seen much better days and tends to be heavily worn and tattered. Each company does different tiers and levels so its difficult to make exact price comparisons. These generally have a negative effect on the value. 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.
Comic book grading, certification process cbcs comics. Dark colored pages that exhibit a uniform tint from edges to middle. The digital download will give you instant value and pricing. These include the later 10 cent issues and all 12 cent issues, which ended in mid1969. It pays to become familiar with the basic descriptive terms used by used and rare booksellers to communicate. The comic book market is primarily concentrated on more vintage comics, most of which were published in the 1930s to mid1970s. Book with offwhite and offwhiteto white sold for above the median. This discoloration can be worsened by the storage condition of the comic.
Furthermore, every cgccertified comic book undergoes. The most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading. The term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in. This is a fairly common trait in the very good category. This book may range anywhere from poor to near mint and there is no obligation to clarify its condition.
When considering the purchase of a book for your collection, the condition and, if applicable, the dust jacket are the most important factors affecting the value. But only when the book is otherwise quite beautiful, and the tape does not in any way mar the appearance of the book. Certified guaranty company, also known as cgc, is a sarasota, florida comic book grading service. Then look up the book value with the grade we decided and find the comic book value. 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. A nice comic with a piece up to the size of a standard postage stamp torn from one corner. Due to the nature of paper, discoloration is expected over time. Useful for when you are unsure of the grade of a book or do not wish to grade the.
We actually believe that all our books in our nm category are at least 9. At you will not only be able to check on comic book prices using our free comic book. Each page includes current market values in ten different grades, as well as a section for real market data, actual prices fetched at auction. You can think of the grade of a comic book like a grade on a report card. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. 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. Tolkien when considering the purchase of a book for your collection, the condition and, if applicable, the dust jacket are the most important factors affecting the value. Similar to light tan to offwhite pages, but the edges of the pages are darker. A guide to book conditions the hobbit first edition by j. A spine split of up to 23 the length of the book, a missing back cover provided the front cover is still attached, severe water damage or residue damage. 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. The premier online comics price guide free comic book values. Mar 27, 2020 the market value of comic books is partly determined by a grading process.
Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and written narrative, usually, dialog contained in word balloons emblematic of the comics art form. Locate the book in the list of books you might need to change the drop list to go to another page. Each pack is grouped around a particular character or theme, and there is no duplication within any pack. A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade, like an f or poor, is bad. We have values for any marvel, dc, image, idw, darkhorse, or dell comic book that is in your collection. Fits the criteria for very good but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book s appearance by a perceptible amount. How to grade your comics comic book grading labels. In these rare cases, a check mark will be placed on the label by the numerical grade. 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. Useful for when you are unsure of the grade of a book or do not wish to grade the comic.
Most comic books in this grade have been sufficiently degraded to the point where there is little or no collector value. These grading services assign grades on the same tenpoint grading scale used by mycomicshop. Here is a more cost effective way to give your comics a raw grade with the catagory flexability of checking off the grade box. If you are unsure what the title is, look at the indicia small block of text inside front or rear cover. Cover shows significant wear, and may be loose or even detached at one staple. Meaning the price guide value, not what you can buy them for. The video and resources below will help you find the best way to get current prices and values of your comic books, whether you own only a couple or thousands here we go. Comic book collectors are picky, and since there is so much money at stake at the higher grades, even the almost imperceptible flaw takes away from the condition. Gpa for cgc comics is the worlds first analysis and reporting service for online auction and dealer comic book sales.
Packed with fantastic information, this book is a fun read, even if you dont collect comics. 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. Comic book grades are given to a book reflecting the quality of printing, storage, and upkeep of a particular book. To grade a comic, you need to take in to consideration a number of factors before being able to assess the correct grade. Once restored, a comic s value depends upon several factors. Of course theres also the fact that graded comics hold higher values than their. After buying a few graded comics on ebay and starting my. If you were to receive a grade on a book you purchased from us, after january. 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.
As condition evaluators and restoration detection experts, the professionals at pgx have spent decades inspecting multiple copies of a wide variety of comics from every era. Having got used to rough approximations, the next step is exact definition. 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. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. The minimum price is not a real reflection of market value. The condition of the dust jacket should be graded independently of the book. Once restored, a comics value depends upon several factors. When more than one comic is offered in a particular listing, the entire sale is disregarded.
Pgx utilizes the overstreet comic book grading guide in its definitions of condition. The video and resources below will help you find the best way to get current prices and values of your comic books, whether you own only a couple or thousands. Chuck rozanskis grading standards mile high comics. 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. Discoloration, fading, foxing, and even minor to moderate soiling is allowed. Mar 05, 2012 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. Apr 01, 2008 how to accurately describe a comic book grade including some example flaws. Updated and added to every day, it will eventually list all significant british comics published and all marvel and dc comics that were either officially distributed or non distributed in the uk. The iguide comic book price guide is maintained by warren and his board of advisors. Comic book price guides, like overstreet, have a minimum price for comic books. If you are serious about learning how to grade comics, i have to recommend the overstreet comic book grading guide. But the book with the lowest value had white pages. Types of damage that place a comic in fr range include.
The accepted grades of condition for comics are listed. The best possible existing condition of that comic book. Look for evidence of tape or glue or other attempts to repair the book. In other words, it takes a dealer time to sort, bag, board and price any comic book.
Most novice near mints end up being very fine at best. Unlike baseball cards, which are doublesided and can be viewed from the confines of a sleeve, comic books contain multiple pages and are meant to be read. A comic book or comicbook, also called comic magazine or simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. In its 48th annual edition, the overstreet comic price guide is the market leader, with good reason. When initially looking at a comic book the first thing one will notice is the cover of the book. Once the comic book has been graded by cgc, it is placed in a tamperevident sleeve, meaning that if the comic book is removed, the cgc valuation of the comic book is no longer valid. If you are unsure what the title is, look at the indicia small block of. The two main methods of describing an overall grade are numerical, and symbol. In general, the more restoration has been performed, the less the comic is worth compared to its apparent grade value.
A detailed explanation of how to determine a comic books condition based on the established grades is generally included in a comic book pricing. The overall look is as if it has never been handled or released for purchase. Comic book value packs comic book value packs are a great way to pick up a lot of comics cheaply. A book in this condition is worn, ragged and unattractive. Reporting on thousands of certified comic book sales daily, gpa is the only service that offers the level of depth and analysis required in todays fastmoving comic book market. The term grading refers to finding the condition that a comic book is in.
Welcome to the comic book price guide that has been 25 years in the making. 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. Note that more sophisticated efforts to restore a comic book, such as color restoration or reglossing are often undetectable by amateur graders and sometimes even professionals, but can also have. 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. When more than one comic is offered in a particular listing, the entire sale is. The searchable database consists of more than 100,000 pages, each devoted to a specific comic book. The same as tan to offwhite, but the center of the pages are darker. The overstreet guide is a must have if you have a lot of comics, are already a collector or plan on having a lot of comics. If the grades do not match, the book will be passed to another grader or even other graders until a consensus of the final grade has been. 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. A copy of a comic in this grade has all pages and most of the covers.
In rare cases, a comic book will look much better than the given grade. Overstreet comic book price guide the overstreet guide is a must have if you have a lot of comics, are already a collector or plan on having a lot of comics. Im all for finding a great buy at a show or convention but i always worry that ill find some defect after the fact. We follow a strict set of guidelines in order to deliver the best possible comic book values. Brittle almost to the point of turning to dust with a touch, and usually incomplete. Everything you need to know about submitting comic books to cgc. Additionally, some comics are slabbed by cgc, cbcs, or pgx. Pgx also offers a comparable service and directly competes with cgc in the comic book grading market. The slightest bindery defects andor printing flaws may be seen only upon very close inspection.
Whether you are an avid comic collector, a repeat offender one who once collected but fell by the wayside, are new to the industry, or someone who came across some old comics, welcome to the world of comics. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet guide. We make every possible effort to only report on the price paid for individual comics. Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book grading. Comic book grading screenshots, images and pictures comic vine. Grading guide pgx comics pgx comic grading services.
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. Aaron albert, a collector of and an expert on comic books, has studied, taught, and written about the comic book genre for more than 20 years. For collectors seeking very nice comics, without the extreme cost of near mint or. While we cannot guarantee that a book graded twice will receive the same grade. This is an exceptional example of a given book the best ever seen. Meaning we buy them at the shop, we bag and board them.
The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. Professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality. A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. Cgc is an independent member of the certified collectibles group of companies. In other words we grade the comics as best as we can. In the example above carnage part one is not part of the title. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. A guide to grading the comic book price guide for great. Collectors condition comic book raw grading labels. Comics price guide was the first online price guide for comic books back in 1995. This means all 5 comic books combined totals added together.
Cgc uses a 10point grading scale to evaluate comics. Some comic book stores even have authorized vendors who can send your books in for you. Below are cgcs grading standards for each numeric grade as well as the restoration grading scale. Even then, for an older comic to be in the very fine category it needs to. Comics kept in damp environments like basements often degrade faster.
These comic grading services will grade a comic and then seal the comic in a hard plastic case that displays the assigned grade. How to accurately describe a comic book grade including some example flaws. Comic book price guides are generally monthly, quarterly, or yearly publications which detail. Beware if any older comic book is graded above this mark.
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