I have been a comic book fan, collector, publisher pocket comicsmars attacks 1988 and graphic artist for years necessity is the mother of invention. 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. A comic is assessed, graded and encased in strong plastic. Cgc uses a 10point grading scale to evaluate comics. The overstreet guide to grading comics includes the 10 point grading system including new grades 0. The grade of a comic book is based on its physical condition. This system was popularised by the certified guarantee company or cgc. Comic book grading comic book grading standards are heavily influenced by the overstreet standard one overstreet numerical equivalency grading system, which is universally recognized by comic book dealersretailers and other authorities for the grading process. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet guide. When grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover.
The best way to understand why a specific comic book received a check mark designation is to refer to the graders notes. 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. Dinjas comic appraisal has a written set of standards based on the industry standard 10 point grading system originally set forth the official overstreet comic book grading guide and adopted by most in the industry. I got tired of using standard labels, cutting, taping, searching, and wasting time. Find the right grade a new 10 point grading system helps you determine the grade of all your comic books. Over the last decade or so, a ten point system has been developed for grading american comics. Egs follows the guidelines overstreet comic book grading guide in the evaluation of its comic books, as well as for definitions of condition as condition evaluation and restoration detection experts, egs inspects a wide variety of comics from every era. Nov 01, 2017 the value of your comic book is heavily dependent on its condition. Comic book grading labels collectors condition comic. The value of your comic book is heavily dependent on its condition. Predating todays commonly used 10 point numerical grading scale by about 10 years, the 100 point scale was an unsuccessful early attempt to apply a more scientific standard to the comic book grading process.
You can easily identify a slabbed comic because the grades will include the name of the grading service, such as cgc 9. Collectors condition comic book raw grading labels stickers. These grading services assign grades on the same ten point grading scale used by mycomicshop. 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. Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book grading. When grading gets to fine, you start operating on a point system.
Who is the most reputable to help get the most value. Armed with this knowledge and a good understanding of the market, you should be able to make an informed decision about restoration. The latter is common to the point of having little or no value. The thing that has changed most over time is how refined the grading scale has become. Comics graded using the either the basic grading system or the tenpoint grading scale are individually scanned and listed for sale, so when youre considering purchasing a comic you can see the front and sometimes back cover scans of the. While the proprietary cat grading system is unique to my price guide, i designed it in such a way that anyone can apply that strategy to any page of published original comic book artwork. Cloud 9 grades comics based on the overstreet price guides grading structure in combination with the standards set by cgc. Some of the older collectors may recall this when i was a kid, as far as some oldschool dealers were concerned a book was either good, fine, or mint. We have an industryproven system in place that emphasizes an attention to detail in every book we grade. What are the comic book grades sparkle city comics. Below is some grading criteria to help understand the complexities involved. 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. Guys a 100 point system is no different than a 10 point system.
Another way is on a tenpoint grading scale from 10. Below are the universally recognized comic grade definitions. These grading services assign grades on the same tenpoint grading scale used by mycomicshop. We accept payment made by credit card, personal check, money order or we can send you an invoice via paypal using your paypal email address. There are grades in between these basic grades such as finevery fine, but we want this to be a general easy. 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. You can think of the grade of a comic book like a grade on a report card. Comic book grading labels collectors condition comic book. Most comics graded using the ten point grading scale have cover scans, so when youre considering purchasing a comic you can see the front and sometimes back cover scans of the exact comic being offered. Discoloration, fading, foxing, and even minor to moderate soiling is allowed. It has major defects to the point that there is almost no collector value. Several factors should be considered before a grade is assigned to a comic book magazine. In these rare cases, a check mark will be placed on the label by the numerical grade. The overstreet guide to grading comics 2016 edition.
This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a general idea of the grade of your books for pricing purposes. Below are cgcs grading standards for each numeric grade as well as the restoration grading scale. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading. 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. A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in. Exhaustive descriptions of primary and split grades give you the right grade quickly. Grading your comic books guide revel in the detail. Cover shows significant wear, and may be loose or even detached at one staple. 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. Raw grading labels the preprinted labels are colorcoded using the standard 10 pt. Some people will state that comic book grading is an art. The overstreet guide to grading comics includes the 10point grading system including new grades 0.
A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in the same apparent grade. 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. This applies mainly to silver age comics, as noted earlier. The grading labels fit on top of backing boards, or can be placed over sleeves. Dinjas comic book appraisals and grading about facebook. Take a close look, ideally with a magnifying glass, and make careful notes of any apparent damage, including. I just want to get the most out of what is probably my best comic. Appraising your comic books in the charlotte, north carolina area. 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. Comic book grading, certification process cbcs comics. 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.
For these comic books we have used the overstreet comic book price guide to determine conditions. This step is taken to ensure that graders do not know whose books they are grading, as a further guarantee of impartiality. Comic book grading company the affordable and reliable. The ten point system the comic book price guide for.
Though comic book grading has been around for decades, it wasnt until 2000 that a new thirdparty grading service, cgc, burst onto the scene and revolutionized the comic book collecting industry. Chuck rozanskis grading standards mile high comics. The overstreet guide to grading comics features 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. Overstreet guide to grading comics 2015 by robert m. Most comics graded using the tenpoint grading scale. With the official overstreet comic book grading guide, you will learn all the information youll ever need to accurately grade your comic books. In general, the more restoration has been performed, the less the comic is worth compared to its apparent grade value. After being examined by a restoration detection professional, the comic books are placed in barcoded mylar sleeves, and separated from their original invoice. How to grade your comics comic book grading labels. 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. In rare cases, a comic book will look much better than the given grade.
Find the right grade a new 10point grading system helps you determine the grade of all your comic books. 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 best possible existing condition of that comic book. A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade. The owlone card comes sealed in its original foil packaging. And while im doing that ill also try my hand at grading the issues. While there is a standard industryrecognized grading system in place, it is ultimately a qualitative process. Our grading methods are based upon factual and measurable observations. I show the qualifications for the various grades which is copied out of.
The overstreet guide to grading comics latest edition. In this installment we will take a look at comic book certification services cbcs. Once restored, a comics value depends upon several factors. Cgcs restoration grading scale is a transparent system that is much more descriptive and accurate than before. About this time 1992 the first overstreet grading guide had been released using the now defunct 100 point system, this book was a great attempt to resolve some of the issues that were constantly coming up between the old timer with the older looser and less defined grading standards and the newbees that wanted nice books and were not willing. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. Overstreet grading numeric system grading factors page quality overstreet grading the overstreet comic price guide was first published in 1970, and has been. Finally, a 10point scale has been applied to give us the most modern system of comic book grading.
The most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading. 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. Mar 27, 2020 when grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover. I share the cat grading system as a starting point for discussion. Aug 30, 2017 comic book grades are given out through a company called the certified guaranty company also known as the cgc.
Learn what is the comic book rating system and how a comic book is graded with cbcs. 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 worlds largest collectibles auctioneer comic books, vintage comics. The standard comic book grading system that is widely used today is the one developed in the official overstreet comic book grading guide. This page gives you the basic comic book grading definitions and 10 point scale, and a glossary of grading termslingo. To learn more about this variance, see eds grading methodology see example below. The company was founded by alec born and steve borock, the latter earning a reputation in the community while working many years at. Another way is on a ten point grading scale from 10. Cbgc has developed a proprietary comic book grading system with over 550 separate grading characteristics, covering over 20 grading categories. Bends, folds, or dents that warp the shape or surface of the book, but dont affect the color. Several factors should be considered before a grade is assigned to a comic bookmagazine. The term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in. Cbcs offers impartial grading and certification for comic books.
Egs grading system egs follows the guidelines overstreet comic book grading guide in the evaluation of its comic books, as well as for definitions of condition. Once restored, a comic s value depends upon several factors. Dinjas comic book appraisals and grading, charlotte, nc. Today i talk about the basics of grading comic books using the overstreet grading criteria. The overstreet guide to grading comics 2016 download.
The two basic systems consist of a number scale from one to ten such as the cgc uses and. Newly updated, the overstreet guide to grading comics includes the 10 point 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. Collector spotlight patrick bain comic art trends price. Without this understanding, you may overpay for a book based on its overstreet tenpoint grade. We have taken every precaution to safely house your comic books while in our care. Grading your comic books guide revel in the detail comics. What matters is the condition of the comic before it was stored. Dinjas comic book appraisals and grading notes facebook.
There are different systems used by different price guides and grading companies. Comic grading professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. The book pretty much summarizes all the checking points in determining the value of a comic book, and provides extensive comic book grading scale and descriptions for each grading level. The same factors that determine car value likewise govern the value of comic books. The ten point system the comic book price guide for great.
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