Comic book grading and pricing

I have been pressing and cleaning comic books for about 3 years now. Silver books are defined as those published from 1958 through 1978. The overstreet comic book price guide or official overstreet comic book price guide is an annually published comic book price guide widely considered the primary authority on the subject of american comic book grading and pricing in the hobbyindustry. You also benefit from a 14 businessday maximum turnaround time for your comics. Submit comics for grading and signature authentication, no membership required. The premier online comics price guide free comic book values. What sellers of comic books dont appreciate is that a comic book buyer. Comic book grading company the affordable and reliable. When buying or selling a comic book, or any collectible, it is important that both parties reach a level of agreement on that collectible condition or grade, as this will to a great extent determines its value.

The comic book grading companies will offer witnesses, so a representative from the grading company will stand with you as you get a book signed. As we match the sale we record the comic grading company, holderlabel type and the assigned grade. The term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in. 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. 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. In rare cases, a comic book will look much better than the given grade. 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.

In the event that cbcs at its sole discretion, determines that the fair market value fmv of a book is higher. Are you considering sending your books in for grading. Grading is the process of evaluating the condition and consequent value of a comic book. Official overstreet comic book price guide companion sc 2008 38th edition. Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book 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. 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. Comic grading company has a simple and affordable pricing structure without any clubs to join. There are different systems used by different price guides and grading companies. All prices listed are per book, excludes shipping and insurance. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet guide. Discoloration, fading, foxing, and even minor to moderate soiling is allowed. We use ebay to provide references to live prices of comic books.

These books will be certified and encapsulated according to tier, and those grading below your specified grade are returned uncertified. The advent of certification enabled increased liquidity of comic books by removing disputes over grading and by. The most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading. Over the years people have asked me to press their comic books for them and every so often, i would do pressing and cleaning for them. At you will not only be able to check on comic book prices using our free comic book price guide, but you can also add comic books to your collection to track their progress over time. Once you become a member, you can now submit your comics directly to cgc. Comic book submission cbgc provides the only easy to use, online comic submission form. Cgc will have representatives there so you can have your signed comics witnessed and given to them for slabbing. Mar 27, 2020 when grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover. This fee is charged for each graded book sent into desert wind comics that must be removed from any graded encasement. Back to top this is highly subjective, but the higher the demand, the likelier your restored book will fetch its apparent grade price.

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. Over the years people have asked me to press their comic books for them and every so often, i would do pressing and. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. We are teaming up with wolf pack comics and doing a 9. Modern books are defined as those published after 1978. When used with the comic divider pads, the comic book flash mailers provide maximum protection for highvalue comics or grading submissions. A guide to grading the comic book price guide for great.

Heres what the pricing looked like when i shipped 4 modern comics to cgc to be graded. Did your books go mia for 5 weeks without a peep as to what was going on. Have you had comics pressed before but the service was less than stellar. Certified guaranty company cgc revolutionized the comic book marketplace when it was founded in 2000 by providing clear, objective and impartial assessments of authenticity and grade. Comic book shipping, mailers, supplies and retailers. Official overstreet comic book price guide companion sc 1990 4th edition. Avery comic pressing llc is fully insured by collectibles insurance services. Simply sandwich the comic between two comic divider pads and insert in the comic book flash mailer for six layers of rigid corrugated protection. Avery comic pressing professional comic book pressing.

Today, cgc is the worlds largest and most trusted thirdparty grading service for comics, magazines, concert posters and related collectibles with more. I live in the vegas area and our local comic book store torpedo comics is hosting a yearlong signing event to rival most comic cons. Types of damage that place a comic in fr range include. I started pressing and cleaning my own comics, to increase my grades at cgc. 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. Josh is a cgc, cbcs dealer, and a cbcs facilitator. Overstreet is the foremost expert in the comic book industry. Egs provides you with superior customer service from start to finish. How to grade your comics comic book grading labels. A brandnew color section highlighting the top comics and the hidden gems of each comic book era latest and most comprehensive pricing information on comic books, graphic novels, and big little books tips on grading, buying, selling comics, as well as terminology and practices.

This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a general idea of the grade of your books for pricing purposes. Jan 09, 2017 i have used both cgc and cbcs with good results on both. Though at times controversial, its proven grading system has become a gold standard for those looking to have their collection appraised. The grade of a comic book is a shorthand description of the books condition. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. Take a close look, ideally with a magnifying glass, and make careful notes of any apparent damage, including. But as a rule of thumb, as im deciding which comics to submit for grading i always estimate the true cost of. 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. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. Today, cgc is the worlds largest and most trusted thirdparty grading service for comics, magazines, concert posters and related collectibles with more than 5 million collectibles. You can think of the grade of a comic book like a grade on a report card. 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.

The grade of a comic book is a shorthand description of the book s condition. Most collectors will accept any page quality except for books with slightly brittle or brittle pages in a collectible comic. You then hand the book over to them, and it gets sent off to be graded. Finally, we gather supportive information about the individual sale including when and where it was sold, how the sale can be identified at the remote venue, the format of the sale. The grade of a comic book is based on its physical condition. The number 1 free online comic book community featuring a comic book price guide database, friends, lists, blogs, and more. They simply look up all the prices in the guide, usually blanketgrading their books as near mint minus 9. We have values for any marvel, dc, image, idw, darkhorse, or dell comic book that is in your collection. A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade. 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 official overstreet comic book price guide, 39th. What is comic book grading and why is it important. A detailed explanation of how to determine a comic books condition based on the established grades is generally included in a comic book pricing guide. When grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover. Grading is the second investigation a comic goes through, this time to evaluate the condition of the comic cover and pages. You can also connect with others in the comic industry to further and enhance everyones comic experience. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading.

Cover shows significant wear, and may be loose or even detached at one staple. Finally, we gather supportive information about the individual sale including when and where it was sold, how the sale can be identified at the remote venue, the format of the sale auction, fixed price, etc. Official overstreet comic book price guide companion sc 1989 3rd edition. 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. The two basic systems consist of a number scale from one to ten such as the cgc uses and. Certified guaranty company cgc is a leading thirdparty grading service for comic books, magazines and other collectibles.

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. Consequently, if the comic is slow on the market, a restored copy may be less than the value derived from the above formulae. 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. 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 best possible existing condition of that comic book.

They simply look up all the prices in the guide, usually blanket grading their books as near mint minus 9. As always, your slots are assigned as orders come in and if your book grades higher than 9. Comic book grades are given out through a company called the certified guaranty company also known as the cgc. Even if you do not have books cleaned and pressed we can still submit books for you. Official overstreet comic book price guide companion sc 1988 2nd edition. In these rare cases, a check mark will be placed on the label by the numerical grade. He set the standard in 1970 with the first comic book. Comic book detailing, is now a cgc authorized dealer. A grader must comb over a book in very minute detail, looking for myriad imperfections like wear, tears, rounded corners, marks, page color e. Comics price guide was the first online price guide for comic books back in 1995. 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. The best way to understand why a specific comic book received a check mark designation is to refer to the graders notes.