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. We are currently migrating data to our new system and conducting tests, and we are really excited for you to try it out. Mar 27, 2020 when grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover. Yellow this is used for a signature series comic and applied to those signed by someone of significance under the view. One of our goals for the new website is to offer an easier online experience for our customers. Comic book grading basics what you need to know by admin on thursday, october 15th, 2009 4 comments the grade or condition of a comic book is the most important determination of value outside of the actual title and issue number. Note that more sophisticated efforts to restore a comic. The cgc the cgc is a group of grading specialists that validate comic books. The two main methods of describing an overall grade are numerical, and symbol. May have a spine split between 2 and 23 the length of the book. Cgc comics guaranty company is a business that will grade your comic book for you, for a price. If you were to receive a grade on a book you purchased from us, after january 1, 2003, that was graded as nm that came in below 8. Let me just say, cgcs customer service is atrocious.
Most comics graded using the tenpoint grading scale have cover scans, so when youre considering purchasing a comic you can see the front and sometimes. I will never do business with them again, nor will i buy a book graded by them. Ive recently started searching for valuable comics in garage sales, book stores, etc its a very addicting hobby and i find myself wanting to send everything i find to cgc. Most people see a comic from the 1980s in a plastic bag and presume that its mint condition. Zatanna and the house of secrets gn 2020 dc kids 11st. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. We offer modern, bronze age, silver age, and golden age comics. Comic book grades are given to a book reflecting the quality of printing, storage, and upkeep of a particular book. The plot is the same the multiracial nekton family lives aboard their stateoftheart and super shiny submarine, the arronax. Grade them yourself via assistance from the book overstreets comic book price guide. Use the standard grading guides to grade your comic, and then note that it is signed.
In general, the more restoration has been performed, the less the comic is worth compared to its apparent grade value. Comic book certification service cbcs was started by professional comic book hobbyists and. The market value of comic books is partly determined by a grading process. Why should the factors that influence the grade on your book be a mystery. 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. The affordable and reliable comic grading service comic book grading company has received a letter from the lawyers of comic guaranty company, llc we are suspending new orders pending the settlement of their alleged disputes with comic book grading company. Comic book grading is a precise procedure that can make it easy to sell or buy comics for what theyre worth. 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. These generally have a negative effect on the value. If anyone has any suggestion or advice, i would greatly appreciate it. The most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading. Then tell the buyer you will keep his offer in mind. Join cgc to get direct submission privileges, 247 order tracking and more. Once restored, a comic s value depends upon several factors.
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. The typical cgc ad shows a raw or ungraded comic book and the sellers description compared to a cgc graded comic book. The worlds largest collectibles auctioneer comic books, vintage comics, original and. To grade a comic, you need to take in to consideration a number of factors before being able to assess the correct grade.
Both prices are shown and inevitably the cgc graded comic sells for far more. This book may range anywhere from poor to near mint and there is no obligation to clarify its condition. How to submit books to cgc comic books grading youtube. Once restored, a comics value depends upon several factors. Grading process certified guaranty company, llc cgc comics. Is it worth getting comic books graded at cgc or pgx. One of the most important factors is first to count the interior pages. A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in the same apparent grade. Sep 01, 2010 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. These records are from an impartial 3rd party source gp analysis. I sent over 100 books into cbcs this year what i noticed was all the grading companies have long wait times.
One of the books is one of only ten signature series 9. If youre getting your comic graded by cgc comics or cbcs, theyll more than likely give it a qualified status. James brouwer boom studios this comic came to my attention because of the netflix series based on it, also called the deep. The date of april 11 is handwritten on the back cover which is taken into account in the grade. 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. Look for evidence of tape or glue or other attempts to repair the book. But i can teach you to quickly assess about what your comic book grades at, and therefore, roughly what your comic book is worth that is all the skill you will need to determine the. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade.
Generally a very fine comic either is a near mint, with one nasty fault bringing it down, or a near mint, with a few minor faults bringing it down. The price difference between the value of a fine and a very fine comic book can be double or more. 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. Adrian grew up on comics early on he had been bought british comics from newsagents as treats mainly the disney comics and other younger reader titles, enid blytons adventure magazine featuring some lovely john ridgeway artwork, and transformers which was what obviously appealed the most to him and became his first regular collected title.
Ill post part 2 to show what these come back evaluated as. Its not meant to be an expert guide to grading comic books. Once the book is graded, it is placed in an archivalquality interior well along with its bar coded grading certificate, which is then placed inside a transparent sleeve using compression and ultrasonic vibrations. You can ship it to them or take it to a convention where they will be at and they will tell you what grade it is considered to be. These comic grading services will grade a comic and then seal the comic in a hard plastic case that displays the assigned 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. Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value. If youre just getting started with having your comics graded, my recommendation is to join cgc at the associate level. When restoration is detected, it is fully noted on the certification label. Useful for when you are unsure of the grade of a book or do not wish to grade the comic. Take your comic books to a comic book store and ask for someone to help you.
In this video, i help you understand how to determine if you should get a comic book officially graded and supervised. Furthermore, every cgccertified comic book undergoes a thorough restoration check by. The cover can be detached and have moderate amounts of tape. Additionally, some comics are slabbed by cgc, cbcs, or pgx. Cbcs believes that everyone should have free access to the information our graders use to determine the grade of a book the only comic grading company to do so your books. Our company has sat well over 600 world record prices selling vintage comic books at auction. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. Gp analysis lists us as a cgc the comic book grading authority online auction. In addition, it can be a lot of fun to get your comics graded and watch them increase in value. Years ago my buddy drew and published his own book i made it official by getting it slabbed 20 6 comments more wolverine miniseries love from my local convention today. I didnt do it on purpose, but my i dont give af, im buying this book, shut up and take my money auction win had a ripple affect. Well if you ever wanted to get more information on comic book grading or how to get your comic graded by the cgc, youre at the right place now. The comic book can have rounded corners and creases in the cover.
The regular collector now has a bargaining chip against weasel comic dealers who try to swindle collections far less than their guide value. Comic book grading screenshots, images and pictures comic vine. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. If youre looking for a hard to find back issue, we probably have it. Have someone who is knowledgable about comic books, preferably a friend, help you. Choose a tier based on comic value and turnaround time. One area we focused on is the way you submit comics and access your account information. The grade or condition of a comic book is the most important determination of value outside of the actual title and issue number. When youre comic book grading, you should be conservative. Nov 10, 2018 a graded comic book gets rid of the haggling. Nostomanias grading guide for comic books coin and comic. Books that have been encapsulated and certified by an objective.
I didnt do it on purpose, but my i dont give af, i m buying this book, shut up and take my money auction win had a ripple affect. In this installment we will take a look at comic book certification services cbcs. I recently had a handful of books graded by cgc, and a handful of books graded by pgx. Then submit the same lot of comics to us via our online system. Take your comics to a local retailer comic store, used book store, antique shop and get a firm offer that includes the buyers estimate for the average grade of the comics in your lot.
Heritage auctions search, sunday internet comics 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. Please note that this video does not reflect the new. Here is a photo gallery of comic books graded cgc 2. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading. Either way i would take a stab at guessing what the grade on each book will be and look at comparable sales on ebay or elsewhere and start with the most valuable books and work my way down from there until you get to the point where you either do not think the next book is worth grading or dont have the funds to get it graded right now. Blue this is used for a universal comic and reflects that the comic is graded as marked with no qualifiers or special considerations. What caught my attention in this ad was how close in price two of the comics were. Blueprint s1 e3 spiderman to spawn, how todd mcfarlane became the biggest comic book artist ever blueprint duration. My friend and i sent out 6 modern day comics for regular grading on june 21. This book has been requested a few times and i finally got around to creating this video. Chuck rozanskis grading standards mile high comics.
Oct 25, 2015 a brief video showing the 4 comic books i m going to send off to cgc to have graded. The grade can literally mean a gain or loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars for a particular issue. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. 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 brief video showing the 4 comic books im going to send off to cgc to have graded. If we dont, add it to your want list and well notify you when its in stock.
I have set a gpa record on a book before and directly raised the actual sale price for all subsequent auctions for said book in every grade. 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. Take advantage of our high resolution images and videos to place bids up until the live event, and then continue to bid during the heritage live auction event, including live streaming audio and video. How much does it cost to get your comic books graded. Grading is the term used for the assessment of the condition of a particular comic book. I ll post part 2 to show what these come back evaluated as. The company was founded by alec born and steve borock, the latter earning a reputation in the community while working many years at. Gp analysis lists us as a cgc the comic book grading authority online auction firm. Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book grading. Take a close look, ideally with a magnifying glass, and make careful notes of any apparent damage, including. Books are carefully handled and tracked through the grading process, and always fully insured while on our premises. For instance, take a look at a recently featured comic book, action comics 1.
An incomplete book missing pages will have significantly less value then a complete. Furthermore, every cgccertified comic book undergoes a thorough restoration check by leading professionals during the certification process. Then, they will put in a protective sleeve and seal it. A guide to grading the comic book price guide for great. Ngc international uk limited ngc uk is the uk affiliate of certified guaranty company cgc, a leading thirdparty grading service for comic books. Types of damage that place a comic in fr range include. 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. All auctions until further notice will be online and phone bidding only. Certified guaranty company cgc is a leading thirdparty grading service for comic books, magazines and other collectibles. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. Comic book recommendations for my daughter and yours too.
Digital imaging for comic books submitted under any of cgc grading and service tiers. Consists of accurate highresolution images of the front and back of the book, shown encapsulated in its cgc holder. I do not care if they need to buy my comics cheap so they can make money. As you can see, i have a certain disdain and distrust of comic book dealers. These grading services assign grades on the same tenpoint grading scale used by mycomicshop.
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