Corners are cut square and sharp with eversoslight blunting permitted. Cover shows significant wear, and may be loose or even detached at one staple. A bent corner tip may be acceptable at this grade level if there are no other flaws, but only if the bend is within the margin and it does not affect the design. On the tenpoint grading scale, a lower grade like 9. Spine stress and corner crease could be applied to any book in the higher grades. Comic books in this grade can have small chunks missing and pieces out of pages. Useful for when you are unsure of the grade of a book or do not wish to grade the comic. 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 grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a comic. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as.
What does the small picture on the cover of comic books. This can exhibit itself in a number of ways, but typically refers to a crease or line near the corner. Overall, the books will look like they are fresh off the. Taking into account the capricious nature of cgc grading, comics in this grade can be expected to grade out with cgc at 6. In many cases a book with bends, creases and folds can be pressed to a flat state which will raise the overall grade of the book. All the comics are flat and complete with supple off white or better pages. Couple very small print put perferations bottom cover. If i had noted that tiny light creases affected grade as much, i may not have sent it in for grading. This is mostly from paging the book with ones thumb or fingers, but can also be from holding the edges and just reading the book over and over while holding the same area, eventually eroding the crispness of the page. How to grade your comics comic book grading labels. Comic book grades are given to a book reflecting the quality of printing, storage, and upkeep of a particular book. The small corner fold breaks color and is allowed in vfnm grade.
A very small amount of spine stresses without color breaks, very minor instances of denting two or three at most, slight corner blunting, and minor less than 18 bends without color breaks. Looking at books online and comparing prices depending on grades. I found the following website to be helpful in grading because it quantifies the defects for each grade. No pages or coupons are missing and everything is attached at the staples. Everyone that owns the overstreet grading guide, get out your magifying glass because the pics are small, and turn to page 197 where we see a daredevil 156 as an example. The basic concept of the corner box is that back in the old days, when comic books were mostly displayed either on magazine racks where books would be staggered on top of each other or on a spinner rack, sometimes only the top of a comic book cover would be visible to people. I had to place the book on its spine to get the light just right on this corner bend.
This word version of comic grading was used for many decades and was adopted by many other guides including the popular and occasional controversial wizard magazine. Pressing gallery the comic doctor comic book pressing. Covers may be split the entire length of the book, but both halves must be present and basically still there with some chunks missing. Mid grade comic books july 14, 2016 scott robertson 9 comments one of the most important aspects of investing in comics is the ability to spot a midgrade comic book that has the potential to become a high grade comic book. Sharp corners can really help a book especially in the 9s. A guide to grading the comic book price guide for great. In rare cases, a comic book will look much better than the given grade.
Just defining the major parametersattributes for creases would take you a long way. The flaws may be small spine ticks, tiny bends on the corner, or other signs of spine wear. A comic falls into this condition range if it meets all the following standards. Almost imperceptible indentations are permissible, but no creases, bends, or color break.
However, the back cover has a gripper hole, and a small tear. The collectors condition is offering free for a limited time only to nostomania members an exclusive opportunity to signup and receive actual working samples of our revolutionary comic book raw grading labels to try out. It really does not take all that much to turn a fragile 9. If you are a dealer or wish to sell, perhaps it is better to grade and evaluate the comic overall and then mention the extent of the missing part. Im always, or have always been perplexed on these type of bends, e. The beatles yellow submarine comic book 1968 gold key comics 1968 king features subfilms ltd complete with poster intact quick note i am no professional comic grader, but i will note all flaws i see comic measures 6. Comic book grading screenshots, images and pictures comic vine. Compression folds at approximately 45 degrees to the ends and sides of the comic as if the corner of the comic were dropped against a hard surface. Some small corner blunting is allowed as well, steve chimed in about that here. Almost imperceptible indentations are permissible, but no creases, bends, or color breaks.
To grade a comic, you need to take in to consideration a number of factors before being able to assess the correct grade. How to store a comic book collection like a superhero. Defects on books can be broken into two categories. Inspect the edges of the cover, including the corners. Typically im finding that my opinion on the higher grade moderns is about 1 or. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. Dick ayers celebrates 64 years as a comic book artist at albany comic con attention nostomania members. If you have vintage and rare comic books or plan to sell them, it may be worth spending a few dollars to get them graded through a company called certified guaranty company cgc. Authentic signature yellow a comic book signed by someone of significance to the comic, as witnessed by an. Defects allowed on a comic in this grade may include minor corner wear bends and blunting, small light accumulation of dents, bends or folds, and light spine. A note in this grade must be strictly uncirculatedwith no folds, bends, or wrinkles present, even when viewed very closely under a strong light. Higher grade books will obviously see the most improvement after being pressed, simply because they usually have only minor defects noncolour breaking spine stress, dents, bends, etc. In general, the more restoration has been performed, the less the comic is worth compared to its apparent grade value. Tinytolarge bends on or along the spine of a comic book, that may or may not break color.
Tinytolarge bends on or along the spine of a comic book, that may or may not break color, usually resulting from mishandling. Grading guide pgx comics pgx comic grading services. The back cover is now pristine, white, no bends, etc. Defects allowed on a comic in this grade may include minor corner wear bends and blunting, smalllight accumulation of dents, bends or folds, and light spine wear. 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. A fr is the lowest grade a comic book can receive as long as the story and art are complete. A small coupon or story panel by at least a couple of grades, a half page out by perhaps three overall grades. To grade a comic, you need to take in to consideration a number of factors before being able to. Moderate bend on front cover comic grading tips and tricks. Even then, only a modest color change is acceptable. These are usually the result of comics having been in spinner racks. Comic book grading the journal of antiques and collectibles. Square and sharp corners with ever so slight blunting permitted.
Slight staple tears and a small accumulation of light stress lines may be present. This can include abrasions, tears, creases, bent corners, spine splits, chips, tape, glue, as well as a. If, for example, a comic had a small tear and two very small but noticable corner folds, we would then probably lower the grade to fine. It is not unusual for comics in this grade to have some very small corner folds. Here, cbp brings you up to date on everything going on in the world of pedigrees, including the latest news on newly discovered collections, brand new offerings in our sale section, and the latest update on our forthcoming book on the greatest golden and silver a collections ever. Nostomanias grading guide for comic books coin and comic.
Take a close look, ideally with a magnifying glass, and make careful notes of any apparent damage, including. Imo yes, always press a book if its going to be graded. Defects allowed on a comic in this grade may include minor corner wear bends and blunting, smalllight accumulation of dents, bends or folds, and light spine. I was wondering if it was related to who was in the issue, or maybe a. The most common defect on a comic book is the foldcrease. In this grade, the book will still be generally flat, but may have tiny bends which. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. The obvious stuff like readingsubscriptionstacking bends, corner crunches, waviness, spine roll, spine ticks and noncolor breaking creases are an easy decision to press out as theyre present in most nonmodern books and will dramatically affect grade. When grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover. How to handle this doubletriple corner bend grade wise. What you are looking at is the back bottom left corner of the book. The beatles yellow submarine comic book 1968 gold key. Jun 14, 2018 for a more detailed look into each grade, consult the overstreet guide to grading comics, available at comic book shops, bookstores and online vendors.
It quickly established itself as the bible of comic book dealers, collectors, and historians. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading. The worlds largest collectibles auctioneer comic books, vintage comics. This book may range anywhere from poor to near mint and there is no obligation to clarify its condition. Each comic book has 36 pages counting covers, as they should. Some of the above defects along with a small fold or crease in the cover. Although the grade may not increase by much, the pressing certainly improved the comic book s appearance. It may have a few minor defects and will generally appear to be in slightly used but not roughly used condition. When i initially graded it, i graded it a vfnm based on that one flaw. For a more detailed look into each grade, consult the overstreet guide to grading comics, available at comic book shops, bookstores and online vendors. If perfect in all other areas, could have four of the following must be 116 in size or less, small spine stress, slight corner blunting, miniscule tear, miniscule color flake. Defects allowed on a comic in this grade may include minor corner wear bends and blunting, small light accumulation of dents, bends or folds, and light spine wear.
There are grades in between these basic grades such as finevery fine, but we want this to be a general easy. Thus a very fine with a missing part should grade no more than a vg at best. Once restored, a comic s value depends upon several factors. This flaw is usually the result of a shipping box containing comics being dented on the corner while in transit. What does the small stamppicture usually in the upper left hand corner on comic book covers indicate.
A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in the same apparent grade. This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a general idea of the grade of your books for pricing purposes. The notes are pretty much useless with out real numbersdetails attached to all of the specific defects of a book. Almost imperceptible indentations are permissible, but no creases, bends. One corner may be almost imperceptibly blunted, but still almost sharp and cut square. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. These comic grading services will grade a comic and then seal the comic in a hard.
The spine may have a couple of very small stress lines that break color. Grading is the term used for the assessment of the condition of a particular comic book. Best grade with small tear, gripper hole comic book. How a comic book price guide created the comics industry. Comicbook comic book pedigrees, the first and only website dedicated to pedigreed comic books. A fr copy will have virtually no eye appeal and will display major damage. No browning is acceptable except for older comicsgenerally those with cover prices 20c or older. The two main methods of describing an overall grade are numerical, and symbol. Chuck rozanskis grading standards mile high comics. There is such a small degree of separation between the grades 9. Then you can more accurately evaluate the book base on the subscription crease but based on the photos and stature of the book, i believe its a question any competent comic person would ask when trying to evaluated the book based on those three pictures. A small horizontal rip in a comics cover that can usually be seen on both the front and the back.
The grade of a book is more than the sum of its defects. Look at the bottom right corner at what is described as a small corner fold. The adventures of superman 1982, dc comic, golden book. Midgrade comic books can be great investments that yield high returns if. This comic may be missing up to four pages of the story and displays severe damage that affects the readability of the book. They may have been defaced with paints, varnishes, glues, oil, indelible markers, or dyes. Mar 27, 2020 when grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as they are in an unobtrusive location. The basic grading scale, also known as letter grades, uses the grades from near. Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value. The cover andor inside pages could have some tears andor folds. Overstreet founded the overstreet comic book price guide in 1970. 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. Fits the criteria for very good but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the books appearance by a perceptible amount.
1483 600 279 850 1418 753 1457 39 136 1096 358 1035 237 382 1212 851 694 1261 361 361 183 185 1094 1523 1123 1164 655 629 1202 335 1480 1302 1156 655