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HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 22:30:45 GMT

[center]HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS[/center] "...that is the question, and don't forget there's no easy answer, cause I'm looking at you through the glass, don't know how much time has passed, although it feels like forever..." an excerpt from a Stone Sour song that just seems fitting for the topic and question ================================================================== When I first started selling comic books in any quantity back in the early '90's, grading was relaxed compared to today's grading standards. I realized this recently when I sold a collection for a friend of mine on eBay. Out of 117 books only 9 were returned, but the collectors who returned them were obviously much more serious about the material they would include in thier collection than the other 30 or so buyers who were happy with thier comics. The books were pre-graded by the owner before I got them using an 11 year-old "Comics Value Guide" from 1995, which included a grading scale of the era in a chapter called "Making the Grade". (More on that later.) For certain reasons listed below I feel this is a very important point to all interested in the comic book industry in general. It seems as though the grades assumed by the owner, from the information he obtained from this older guide, was more than suitable for most of the buyers because of the feedback they left, which was simply the comments of happy collectors who felt they got what they paid for, if not more. The 3 who returned books stated that the books were "grossly over-graded" in some instances by "2 or 3 full grade-points". That's a very large descrepency looking at this scenario in these very basic terms. But, if you look at it in a geographical sense, it makes much more sence. The 3 who returned the 9 books were for the most part all from large metropolitan areas. The 30 or so who were happy lived in more rural areas of the States, or overseas, as far away as Australia, France, Canada, and England, not to mention our great State of Hawaii. Imagine the sheer distances from any one of these countries to the East Coast of the United States, and then imagine how far away, and rare anything is for them from here? Especially something as "dispensible" as a vintage comic book? Remember: Something "common" in the States, probably is very rare, and hard-to-find, elsewhere! One of the satisfied bidders, who was contacted by one of the buyers who returned books, said the comics were "a little over-rated" but was "keeping them" simply because he was "happy with them". (He bought 29 books - over 25% of the entire collection - and spent several hundred dollars on them, and was from Canada.) Not one of them who returned thier books were ever rude, and all were easy to deal with. These are the collectors you show your best stuff to obviously, and ironically the people who "turned me back on" to the industry. At least as far as the most recent grading standards are concerned. The other 30 or so were just plain happy to get thier hands on the books themselves and came from not only the U.S., and Hawaii, but Canada, Australia, England, and France - Which again, is the moral to this post: Grading is subjective, and depends SOLELY on the prefrences of the individual, a lot of which could have to do where they live, and the availability of what they seek. Plain and simple. This is where I feel a mistake is being made in "grading" comic books. As the old cliche' goes ... beauty is only in the eye of the beholder ... I propose that instead of grading a comic book, why not simply describe any defects that are visable upon inspection of the book, and let the collector determine the grade (at least in the case of non-CGC graded comics) or, [center][size=7][b]Grade the collectors themselves. [/b][/size][/center] The quick lesson I learned from eBay is that there are people all around the globe that want American comic books, and because of thier geographical position on earth, are willing to pay more than the average domestic collector for the same issue, in the same grade, and as far as we know, this same philosophy may apply to overseas dealers as well (and what are THEY getting for that same issue of..?). The East Coast of the United States holds most of the planet's high-priced collectibles simply because they were produced here. And that's a fact. Like any commodity: supply equals demand, and demand must equal supply. When demand surpasses supply, well... This is why many collectors throughout the United States are willing to pay higher prices for vintage comic books: They know there is more competition on a global basis. It all boils down to one question: Is the buyer purchasing a comic book for investment purposes, or are they buying it simply because they enjoy it? i.e. Say CCL divided listings into sections (or "searches") according to a customer's budgit (wether trading, buying, or selling): 1. Poor to Good. 2. Very Good to Fine. 3. Very Fine to Mint. If something like this were stressed globally it could do the industry some good. At least in my humble opinion, because it could drive prices abroad up, while keeping them down domestically, simply because of the cost of postage. If you think about it, we're now in a global competition for anything and everything collectible from automobiles to zippos.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 18:40:08 GMT

You bring up some very good points regarding regional differences in demand for particular grade (or the very perception of grade). Reminds me of something that Chuck Rozanski (one of, if not the, largest dealers in the world) wrote a couple years back on [url=http://www.milehighcomics.com/tales/cbg06.html]low grade silver age [/url] comics. No matter what your opinion on him and his business practices, he always has good points in regard to things such as grading, worldwide supply, trends, etc. In regards to the idea of grading the collector's as opposed to the books. To me that sounds exactly like the reputation score that is employed by eBay and similar sites. Granted, the score encompasses much more than a seller's ability to accurately describe condition (in eBay's case I believe the score tends to be impacted most by whether one actually pays for or actually ships the item, which would be the most basic aspects of a transaction). It will be interesting to see how CCL develops in this direction. Anyway, you obviously put a lot of thought into your post, and I thought it a shame no one had replied yet, so I dumped some mental diarrhea out.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 22:16:28 GMT

[quote=whitejay251]You bring up some very good points regarding regional differences in demand for particular grade (or the very perception of grade). Reminds me of something that Chuck Rozanski (one of, if not the, largest dealers in the world) wrote a couple years back on [url=http://www.milehighcomics.com/tales/cbg06.html]low grade silver age [/url] comics. No matter what your opinion on him and his business practices, he always has good points in regard to things such as grading, worldwide supply, trends, etc. In regards to the idea of grading the collector's as opposed to the books. To me that sounds exactly like the reputation score that is employed by eBay and similar sites. Granted, the score encompasses much more than a seller's ability to accurately describe condition (in eBay's case I believe the score tends to be impacted most by whether one actually pays for or actually ships the item, which would be the most basic aspects of a transaction). It will be interesting to see how CCL develops in this direction. Anyway, you obviously put a lot of thought into your post, and I thought it a shame no one had replied yet, so I dumped some mental diarrhea out.[/quote] Thanks for the "mental diarrhea". Maybe we all need "cleaned out" in the long "run" (excuse the "pun").

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 22:45:30 GMT

In my humble opinion, ebay is a comic sales forum [i]only[/i]. eBay is to me simply a "pulse" of the industry giving up valuable data on the comics industry in a global capacity, in general. The data durived from ebay is some of the most important data to any collector, wether in the States or abroad, because it is the data that drives the economy of the comic industry, or at least influences it in some manner, or in some certain direction. Selling forums like ebay allow comic book collectors to see just where the industry is standing as an industry, simply since so many books are sold in an ebay setting. The final prices are simply what collectors are willing to pay for an issue - regardless of the shipping charges - which I feel is a very important point.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 19:08:36 GMT

MINT ( M or MT : 125% ~ 150% ; Overstreet 100-98 ) Near perfect in every way. Only the most subtle bindery or printing defects are allowed. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Cover inks are bright with high reflectivity and minimal fading. Corners are cut square and sharp. Staples are generally centered and clean with no rust. Cover is generally centered and firmly secured to interior pages. Paper is supple and fresh. Spine is tight and flat. Yes, comics in this grade do exist, but they are extremely rare for one simple reason - this is the most subjective of all the grades. What qualifies as Mint to one person may have a small, almost unnoticeable flaw that downgrades it to Near Mint for someone else. Your typical comic in the pull file or on the newsstand is _not_ in mint condition, but is instead in near mint condition because of these extremely minor flaws. NEAR MINT ( NM :100% , NM- : 90%; Overstreet 97-90 ) Nearly perfect. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Cover inks are bright with high reflectivity and with a minimum of fading. Corners are cut square and sharp with ever so slight blunting permitted. Staples are generally centered and clean with no rust. Cover is well centered and firmly secured to interior pages. Paper is supple and like new. Spine is tight and flat. Tears : None allowed. Corner Bends : Only allowed if hardly noticeable. Spine Stress Marks : Only allowed if hardly noticeable. Staples : Tight, clean, no rust, and centered. Writing : None allowed with the exception of autographs. Rubber Stamps : None allowed. Tape : None allowed. Pieces Missing : None allowed with the exception of tips of pages nicked during the production process. Fingerprints : When noticeable they drop the comic down to Fine. Water stains : None allowed. Browning Paper : None allowed except in the instance of older comics (such as a 12 cent comic) that may have oxidized due to their extreme age. Even then, it must be hardly noticeable. Spine Rolling : None allowed. Off-Center Printing : Only allowed if hardly noticeable. Cover Scuff Marks : Only allowed if hardly noticeable. VERY FINE ( VF+ :80% , VF : 70% , VF- : 60%; Overstreet 89-75 ) An excellent copy with outstanding eye appeal. Sharp, bright and clean with supple pages. Pages and covers can be yellowish/tannish (at the most) but not brown and will usually be off-white to white. Light spine wear is permissible. Most comics from the past ten years or so that have been well taken care of will fall somewhere is this category. Tears : Only very minor tears allowed - 1/8 inch. Corner Bends : Slightly noticeable bends allowed. Spine Stress Marks : Slightly noticeable ones allowed. Staples : Clean, no rust, centered, but may be a bit loose. Writing : None allowed with the exception of autographs. Rubber Stamps : None allowed. Tape : None allowed. Pieces Missing : None allowed with the exception of tips of pages nicked during the production process. Fingerprints : When noticeable they drop the comic down a grade. Solid color cover books or ones with a highly reflective cover have problems with this. Water stains : None allowed. Browning Paper : None allowed except in the instance of older comics (such as a 12 cent comic) that may have oxidized due to their extreme age. Even then, it must be hardly noticeable. Spine Rolling : None allowed. Off-Center Printing : Very slight deviance is allowed. Cover Scuff Marks : Only allowed if hardly noticeable. FINE ( F or FN, F+ : 55% , F : 50% , F- 45%; Overstreet 74-55 ) An exceptional, above average copy that shows minor wear but still relatively flat, clean and glossy with no subscription crease or brown margins. Typical defects include: light spine wear, minor surface wear, a light crease, minor yellowing/tanning to interior pages. Compared to a VF, cover inks are beginning to show a significant reduction in reflectivity but is till highly collectable and desirable. Tears : Only very minor tears allowed - 1/4 inch. Corner Bends : Minor noticeable bends allowed. Spine Stress Marks : Minor noticeable ones allowed. Staples : Clean, no rust, centered, but may be a bit loose. Writing : Very neat, small penciled prices on the interior page of a comic allowed. Otherwise, not allowed. Rubber Stamps : Allowed only in the case of international price stamps or small blue star which shows that it was sold at a Stars & Stripes newsstand at a military base. Tape : None allowed. Pieces Missing : Only if less than 1/8 inch square. Fingerprints : Fingerprints are allowed, but excessive or ugly fingerprints can drop the grade to Very Good. Water stains : None allowed with the exception of stains on the back cover due to high humidity. No wrinkling or warping allowed. Browning Paper : Very light browning is allowed, but no brittleness. Spine Rolling : Allowed only if very minor. Off-Center Printing : Slight deviance is allowed. Cover Scuff Marks : Light scuffing is allowed, but is minor. This shows up mostly on comics with dark covers. VERY GOOD ( VG+ : 40% , VG : 35% , VG- 30%; Overstreet 54-35 ) The average used comic book, that has not been taken care of by proper handling and bag & boarding, most commonly found. The comic shows moderate wear but eye appeal has not been reduced to the point that it is not desirable. One or two minor markings on the cover or minor spine roll are allowed. Lightly creased along spine or extremities, subscription crease, loose centerfold, or minor chip or piece missing allowed. Tears : Several minor tears or one major tear allowed. Corner Bends : Allowed. Spine Stress Marks : Always allowed and is very evident. Staples : Clean, no rust, centered, but may be loose, but still must be joined to all the pages. No tearing allowed. Writing : Very neat, small penciled prices on the interior page or cover of a comic allowed. Otherwise, not allowed. Rubber Stamps : International price stamps and small blue star stamps are allowed. Name and store stamps are allowed only if on back cover and done neatly. Crooked stamps drop it a grade. Tape : None allowed. Pieces Missing : Allowed if smaller than the size of a postage stamp and the comic is not too worn. Otherwise a worn comic with a piece that size missing would be Good. Fingerprints : Fingerprints are allowed, except in the case that they are caused by an external agent such as oil on someones fingers. Water stains : Only a small, single drop, water stain allowed and only then if hardly noticeable. Browning Paper : Browning is allowed, but no brittleness. Spine Rolling : Allowed only if very minor. Folds : The cover may have some folds, but the comic must not have been bent in half. Off-Center Printing : Allowed. Cover Scuff Marks : Allowed, but is minor. GOOD ( G+ : 25% , G : 20% , G- : 15%; Overstreet 34-15 ) This comic has all pages and covers, although there may be small rips or tears. Commonly creased, scuffed, abraded, and soiled, but books in this grade are completely readable. Paper quality is low, but not brittle. Tears : Tears are allowed short of the cover being torn in half. Corner Bends : Evident. Spine Stress Marks : Spine can have some tears, usually around the staples. Tears must be less than 1/4 inch. Staples : Loose staples with some rust allowed. Writing : All writing allowed except in excessive cases where large magic markers are used or if it detracts from the story in some way. Rubber Stamps : Allowed unless excessive. Tape : Allowed unless excessive such as duct tape. Pieces Missing : 2 inch square pieces on cover, 3 inch square on back, and 1 inch square from interior corners allowed. Clipped coupons from back cover allowed, but not from interior. Note, this is not the same as coupons used to redeem "free" comic books. Fingerprints : Allowed. Water stains : Allowed unless excessive. Browning Paper : Browning is allowed, and slightly brittle. Spine Rolling : Allowed. Folds : Allowed. Off-Center Printing : Allowed. Cover Scuff Marks : Allowed. FAIR ( FR : 10%; Overstreet 14- 5 ) Very heavily read and soiled, but still complete. Damaged beyond collectability for most collectors, brings 30 to 50 percent of the good price. Tears : Tears are allowed short of the cover being torn in half. Corner Bends : Evident. Spine Stress Marks : Spine can have tears, usually around the staples. Tears must be less than 1 inch. Staples : Loose staples with rust allowed. Writing : All writing allowed except in excessive cases where large magic markers are used or if it detracts from the story in some way. Rubber Stamps : Allowed unless excessive. Tape : Allowed unless excessive such as duct tape. Pieces Missing : Missing pieces allowed, but the story is still readable. Clipped coupons allowed. Fingerprints : Allowed. Water stains : Allowed unless excessive. Browning Paper : Browning and brittleness allowed. Spine Rolling : Allowed. Folds : Allowed. Off-Center Printing : Allowed. Cover Scuff Marks : Allowed. POOR ( PR : 5%; Overstreet 4 - 1 ) Sufficiently degraded so as to have little or no collector value. Often severely stained, abraded, defaced, or damaged beyond readability. Tears : Allowed short of the book being torn in half. Corner Bends : Evident. Spine Stress Marks : Spine has tears. Staples : Loose staples with rust allowed. Writing : All writing allowed. Rubber Stamps : Allowed. Tape : Allowed. Pieces Missing : Allowed. Fingerprints : Allowed. Water stains : Allowed. Browning Paper : Brown and brittle. Spine Rolling : Allowed. Folds : Allowed. Off-Center Printing : Allowed. Cover Scuff Marks : Allowed.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 13:31:53 GMT

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 16:54:56 GMT

There is always going to be some debate over graded books versus non-graded books. I like to present it this way: When you buy diamonds for your wife or girlfriend do you look at the quality of the diamond? Will she look at the quality of diamond? Will you buy a diamond that has been graded by Leo (a prominent gem grader) or from Zales and their grading gemologist? The reason I use diamonds is there is a major difference in diamonds. Not all diamonds are the same. FL (Flawless) - IF (Internally Flawless) Flawless Diamonds reveal no flaws on the surface or internally are the rarest and most beautiful gems. Internally Flawless Diamonds reveal no inclusions and only insignificant blemishes on the surface under 10x magnification. VVS1 - VVS2 (Very, Very Slightly Included) Very difficult to see inclusions under 10x magnification. These are excellent quality diamonds. VS1 - VS2 (Very Slightly Included) Only looking through a 10X loupe can pinpoint the inclusions in this category and are nearly impossible to see with the naked eye. These are less expensive than the VVS1 or VVS2 grades. SI1 - SI3 (Slightly Included) Diamonds with inclusions easily identified under 10x magnification. Finding flaws in this category with the naked eye is difficult. The gems in this category maintain their integrity, depending on the location of the inclusions. I1 - I3 (Included) Diamonds with inclusions which may or may not be easily seen by the naked eye. The flaws on the stones in this category will have some effect on the brilliance of your diamond. So, after reading this, what would your wife/girlfriend want on her finger?

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 09:30:26 GMT

[quote=neonshrk]There is always going to be some debate over graded books versus non-graded books. I like to present it this way: When you buy diamonds for your wife or girlfriend do you look at the quality of the diamond? Will she look at the quality of diamond? Will you buy a diamond that has been graded by Leo (a prominent gem grader) or from Zales and their grading gemologist? The reason I use diamonds is there is a major difference in diamonds. Not all diamonds are the same. FL (Flawless) - IF (Internally Flawless) Flawless Diamonds reveal no flaws on the surface or internally are the rarest and most beautiful gems. Internally Flawless Diamonds reveal no inclusions and only insignificant blemishes on the surface under 10x magnification. So, after reading this, what would your wife/girlfriend want on her finger? [/quote] What you are forgetting is that we are talking comics...way more important and expensive than that rock on my wife's finger!! (Love you,honey). It does go that way with buyer's though and everyone will be different, but at least with diamonds everyone knows the scale. There is confusion in comics as to what exactly makes up the scale now that we have a 10 pt decimal system in place. I don't want to be advertising something as NM/VF if it is only VF--there is a major price discrepancy there and you could have some very dissatisfied customers.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 10:11:40 GMT

[quote]What you are forgetting is that we are talking comics...way more important and expensive than that rock on my wife's finger!! (Love you,honey). It does go that way with buyer's though and everyone will be different, but at least with diamonds everyone knows the scale. There is confusion in comics as to what exactly makes up the scale now that we have a 10 pt decimal system in place. I don't want to be advertising something as NM/VF if it is only VF--there is a major price discrepancy there and you could have some very dissatisfied customers. [/quote] I love my comics too! And yes I do have some that are more expensive than the rock on my wifes finger. I was just trying to look at comics from a different perspective. I know we all have comics that are beautiful, but wouldn't it be nice if you had an independent 3rd party grade your books so there would be no confusion as to what grade the comic is in? I know that I wouldn't be able to grade a comic meticulously and give it a proper grade. There was an example recently on the board where the user posted a pic of his book and someone said it would grade an 8.0. He sent it to CGC and they gave it a grade of 9.4. Big difference. So do we trust our own grading skills knowing we are biased since they are our books that we treasure or do we let a 3rd party that isn't biased grade them for us? Tough decision in my honest opinion.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 11:30:57 GMT

Grading a comic is a task what most people don't do is remove themselves from the thought of making money on the book. They understand that if they put that nm on a ebay listing it will bring in more money even if the book is a vf or fine. I have seen listing of older books graded as nm and in the picture you see the crease at a corner what you you think that's about just being a little loose on the grade or knowing that the nm listing will have more people look at it and bring higher prices. Yes beauty is in the eye of the beholder but greed runs crazy in this hobby. Yes standerds have changed in the last 10 to 15 years but so has the hobby when a book will sale for a half of million or million standards have to be made. You have to put yourself in the buyers shoes if i payed this much for a book listed in this grade and received the book and thought is was overgraded how would i feel. And all the places that say i usaully undergrade are miss leading too that is just a way of saying i quickly graded a book here it is and it maybe better. For everyone serious about buyering or saling go get the overstreet grading guide you might just be surpised that there is a standard and most people just don't care to follow it in the attempt to relize more money for there collection. P.s. on ebay you have to factor in shipping cost because for you to recieve that book that is the total amount that you had to pay.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 12:46:13 GMT

Well said Big Monkey but it's not just Ebay sellers either. I have bought many books from respectable comic companies such as Mile High Comics and Newkadia that were posted in NM and came back as defitnite VF. It makes me so mad. It's just plain common courtesy to be honest, escepcialy to your customers.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 02:03:59 GMT

Good topic as this has to be the most hotly debated topic for comic book collectors. I found the [url=http://www.amazon.com/Official-Overstreet-Comic-Grading-Guide/dp/0609810529/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4/002-1310686-7513604?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175846222&sr=8-4]Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide (2nd ed.)[/url] to be a useful asset to help my grading skills. I know some people dispute the accuracy of some of the picture examples they use (esp. in the 3rd edition) but it has helped me with quick eyeball grades when I am evaluating comics. I tend to overgrade my own comics less now. Another useful tactic has been looking at some of the high-res scans of CGC-graded comics at auction houses like [url=http://www.ha.com]Heritage Auctions[/url]. Checking the grades versus the visible condition has helped me decide which of my more valuable books I will send out for professional grading. YMMV of course. BACARDI

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 05:36:39 GMT

Im not a fan of graded comics. Because of it, its much harder to make a significant find. I just bought my 1st graded comic off ebay. I got a Silver Surfer #2 in 6.5 from PGX. Paid 35 bucks delievered to my door. Thats a good deal for that book. That it was graded made no difference to me. I had a ruff idea of what defects I was willing to accept and my price point for the book overall. I have since cracked the case and gave the book a home next to 1, 3 and 4. Dont feel the least tinge of remorse about it. I have never submitted anything to be professionally graded. In reality, I think the grade you get back has as much to do if the grader got laid the night before or had a nice lunch. I've seen some real grading headscratchers that make me SERIOUSLY question their consistency and overall accuracy. I've heard that bulk submittors (ie. repeat customers) tend to get more favorable grades.. I know my eyes and what I can live with as far as defects go... I like it flat, glossy, and the spine tight as a drum. I can live with a subscription crease and off center printing. Depending on the book and how well the colors and art lend itself, small dog-ears on the corners I can get over too. Bonus points if it "smells" like a comic. BUT date stamps, writing and obvious misuse or lack of storage really get on my nerves. Graded books have put top end books out of reach, as every Tom Dick and Harry that thinks they have something submits it to milk the $ out of it. Not that there is any sin to making a profit, but come on.... Whats the point of having a .5 graded copy of something? The difference between a 9.0 and 9.9 is going to be exponential, unfortunately. Finding decent copys just got harder. Decent copies at MY price rather.... and Im one cheap Mofugly. A buddy of mine gave me A Marvel Werewolf #2.. 20 cent copy. It was a phat copy. For all intents and purposes.. It looked perfect. It me all of my criteria for visual appeal... My bud bought it off ebay... the guy he bought it from, had it submitted and cracked the case... the CGC label fell out from between the pages saying it was a 7.5 copy.. and he had a small sticky note on the board with comments and grading notes... Evidently, this cat had a book graded to be a yardstick to measure his other books. I have since seen CGC stuff in much worse condition, spine dings, dogears ect. get a higher grade... So I cant figure those Graded guys out.. Its a mystery... I just know what Im willing to accept and pay for a given book. I dont need anybody elses eyes to tell me what I want to hear.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 09:41:56 GMT

So what is the general rating for a book that is off-the-shelf at a normal comic book store (or even pulled off before shelving)? Does this rating go down if they are read once or twice? I hear conflicting things sometimes, on both issues...I ask because this is what pretty much all my books are, and I think we need to know this stuff for selling through CCL. PS i mean rating as in NM, VF, etc. not CGC number ratings

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 10:58:17 GMT

[quote=RedDragon642]So what is the general rating for a book that is off-the-shelf at a normal comic book store (or even pulled off before shelving)? Does this rating go down if they are read once or twice? [/quote] I dunno man.. My shop gets in some damged stuff from time to time... Poor packing or printing or those stupid inserts mess things up. I OFTEN, go thru my pull books and swap them out for better copies off the shelf. So you still have to be careful... Unless you fold your books back when you read them... or have KFC grease or PB&J on your fingers as you read... I think you can be careful euff so that its a non issue. Maybe somebody is trying to sell you 2 copies? Examine their motivation for saying this..

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 16:39:50 GMT

I feel in some ways CGC has helped the comic book industry and In some ways hurt it really bad. I grade my books acurately, but the sales of back issues have declined by alot in my store, cuz the customer wants them graded now anyway and the figure if they buy a book say around $15 in VG, they will have to send it into CGC for another $15 plus and now they have a cost of $30 plus for a comic thats only worth $15. CGC is great for rare and high grade books, but I feel they have ruined the SALES of anything less than 9.6, My customers don't even want 9.4's anymore since they see all that money that 9.8's fetch. Its turned into a greed hobby instead of a read hobby :-({|=

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Thu, 03 May 2007 19:09:14 GMT

I have that exact same problem. I do agree that, in some aspects, CGC has assisted the market, but, it has truly hurt my back issue sales. It seems that with the greed that has hit our industry, gone are the days of collecting for fun...

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Thu, 10 May 2007 12:45:43 GMT

I'm not interested in having them graded. I guess it helps to set some price points, but I don't buy comic books for resale. I buy them for me. And I collect current titles. But let's say that I have now seen a LOT of cool books on CCL and decide to get some back issues. Well, if I want a back issue, I'll take what I can get. If your copy has been read 10 times and has a small crease in it, but is $5, vs the guy who has one w/o a crease for $25. Guess what? I'm buying the cheaper one. Then I can get other books for that $$$ I saved.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sun, 20 May 2007 07:25:17 GMT

hi just a quick question iv just starting to know about CGC grading comics and was wondering is there a address for people in england or do i have to send them to the USA? thanks

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 12:05:03 GMT

Speaking of grading, does anyone know the procedures involved in getting CGC to grade a book? I am a little trepidacious about sending any book I thought might be valuable away. What do they charge??? Thanks.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 17:28:10 GMT

i wish i did but sadly i dont

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 14:48:57 GMT

iv just got this website its got some names of places you can go i guess you can check them out befor you give them your comics http://www.cgccomics.com/ i hope this helps

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 01:39:25 GMT

I myself use the Overstreet Grading guide as a grading tool........it gives exhaustive descriptions of primary and split grades.....and has over 200 full color photos....an essay from CGC (who I believe to be extremely ANAL):-s ....and so much more

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 09:16:55 GMT

For examples of different comicgrades check this out: http://comicbooks.about.com/b/a/257875.htm?nl=1

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:25:00 GMT

The point is not the grade. The point is finding a common language in which to communicate the condition of comics. The grading system is just suppose to simplify it. Instead of making a long description of the book you just say NM or F. I don't think there's any justification for returning books that are graded lower than stated on E-Bay. If I'm interested in a high grade book, I don't take the dealers word for it, I ask for a large scan. You can see if it has any missing color on the spine from creasing. If a customer isn't happy with the book, it's his fault for not asking enough questions. What gets me is when a book has obvious creases on the spine and it's listed as NM. This happens either out of greed or ignorance. In any case, it is a blatant abuse of this system. Although you'll know it from the picture and you can just avoid this dealer. When I list books, I sometimes do both. Give a grade and 2 or 3 main points about why it got that grade. I think with a little common sense this problem can be overcome.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 10:13:32 GMT

[quote=shark]MINT ( M or MT : 125% ~ 150% ; Overstreet 100-98 ) Near perfect in every way. Only the most subtle bindery or printing defects are allowed. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Cover inks are bright with high reflectivity and minimal fading. Corners are cut square and sharp. Staples are generally centered and clean with no rust. Cover is generally centered and firmly secured to interior pages. Paper is supple and fresh. Spine is tight and flat. Yes, comics in this grade do exist, but they are extremely rare for one simple reason - this is the most subjective of all the grades. What qualifies as Mint to one person may have a small, almost unnoticeable flaw that downgrades it to Near Mint for someone else. Your typical comic in the pull file or on the newsstand is _not_ in mint condition, but is instead in near mint condition because of these extremely minor flaws. NEAR MINT ( NM :100% , NM- : 90%; Overstreet 97-90 ) Nearly perfect. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Cover inks are bright with high reflectivity and with a minimum of fading. Corners are cut square and sharp with ever so slight blunting permitted. Staples are generally centered and clean with no rust. Cover is well centered and firmly secured to interior pages. Paper is supple and like new. Spine is tight and flat. Tears : None allowed. Corner Bends : Only allowed if hardly noticeable. Spine Stress Marks : Only allowed if hardly noticeable. Staples : Tight, clean, no rust, and centered. Writing : None allowed with the exception of autographs. Rubber Stamps : None allowed. Tape : None allowed. Pieces Missing : None allowed with the exception of tips of pages nicked during the production process. Fingerprints : When noticeable they drop the comic down to Fine. Water stains : None allowed. Browning Paper : None allowed except in the instance of older comics (such as a 12 cent comic) that may have oxidized due to their extreme age. Even then, it must be hardly noticeable. Spine Rolling : None allowed. Off-Center Printing : Only allowed if hardly noticeable. Cover Scuff Marks : Only allowed if hardly noticeable. VERY FINE ( VF+ :80% , VF : 70% , VF- : 60%; Overstreet 89-75 ) An excellent copy with outstanding eye appeal. Sharp, bright and clean with supple pages. Pages and covers can be yellowish/tannish (at the most) but not brown and will usually be off-white to white. Light spine wear is permissible. Most comics from the past ten years or so that have been well taken care of will fall somewhere is this category. Tears : Only very minor tears allowed - 1/8 inch. Corner Bends : Slightly noticeable bends allowed. Spine Stress Marks : Slightly noticeable ones allowed. Staples : Clean, no rust, centered, but may be a bit loose. Writing : None allowed with the exception of autographs. Rubber Stamps : None allowed. Tape : None allowed. Pieces Missing : None allowed with the exception of tips of pages nicked during the production process. Fingerprints : When noticeable they drop the comic down a grade. Solid color cover books or ones with a highly reflective cover have problems with this. Water stains : None allowed. Browning Paper : None allowed except in the instance of older comics (such as a 12 cent comic) that may have oxidized due to their extreme age. Even then, it must be hardly noticeable. Spine Rolling : None allowed. Off-Center Printing : Very slight deviance is allowed. Cover Scuff Marks : Only allowed if hardly noticeable. FINE ( F or FN, F+ : 55% , F : 50% , F- 45%; Overstreet 74-55 ) An exceptional, above average copy that shows minor wear but still relatively flat, clean and glossy with no subscription crease or brown margins. Typical defects include: light spine wear, minor surface wear, a light crease, minor yellowing/tanning to interior pages. Compared to a VF, cover inks are beginning to show a significant reduction in reflectivity but is till highly collectable and desirable. Tears : Only very minor tears allowed - 1/4 inch. Corner Bends : Minor noticeable bends allowed. Spine Stress Marks : Minor noticeable ones allowed. Staples : Clean, no rust, centered, but may be a bit loose. Writing : Very neat, small penciled prices on the interior page of a comic allowed. Otherwise, not allowed. Rubber Stamps : Allowed only in the case of international price stamps or small blue star which shows that it was sold at a Stars & Stripes newsstand at a military base. Tape : None allowed. Pieces Missing : Only if less than 1/8 inch square. Fingerprints : Fingerprints are allowed, but excessive or ugly fingerprints can drop the grade to Very Good. Water stains : None allowed with the exception of stains on the back cover due to high humidity. No wrinkling or warping allowed. Browning Paper : Very light browning is allowed, but no brittleness. Spine Rolling : Allowed only if very minor. Off-Center Printing : Slight deviance is allowed. Cover Scuff Marks : Light scuffing is allowed, but is minor. This shows up mostly on comics with dark covers. VERY GOOD ( VG+ : 40% , VG : 35% , VG- 30%; Overstreet 54-35 ) The average used comic book, that has not been taken care of by proper handling and bag & boarding, most commonly found. The comic shows moderate wear but eye appeal has not been reduced to the point that it is not desirable. One or two minor markings on the cover or minor spine roll are allowed. Lightly creased along spine or extremities, subscription crease, loose centerfold, or minor chip or piece missing allowed. Tears : Several minor tears or one major tear allowed. Corner Bends : Allowed. Spine Stress Marks : Always allowed and is very evident. Staples : Clean, no rust, centered, but may be loose, but still must be joined to all the pages. No tearing allowed. Writing : Very neat, small penciled prices on the interior page or cover of a comic allowed. Otherwise, not allowed. Rubber Stamps : International price stamps and small blue star stamps are allowed. Name and store stamps are allowed only if on back cover and done neatly. Crooked stamps drop it a grade. Tape : None allowed. Pieces Missing : Allowed if smaller than the size of a postage stamp and the comic is not too worn. Otherwise a worn comic with a piece that size missing would be Good. Fingerprints : Fingerprints are allowed, except in the case that they are caused by an external agent such as oil on someones fingers. Water stains : Only a small, single drop, water stain allowed and only then if hardly noticeable. Browning Paper : Browning is allowed, but no brittleness. Spine Rolling : Allowed only if very minor. Folds : The cover may have some folds, but the comic must not have been bent in half. Off-Center Printing : Allowed. Cover Scuff Marks : Allowed, but is minor. GOOD ( G+ : 25% , G : 20% , G- : 15%; Overstreet 34-15 ) This comic has all pages and covers, although there may be small rips or tears. Commonly creased, scuffed, abraded, and soiled, but books in this grade are completely readable. Paper quality is low, but not brittle. Tears : Tears are allowed short of the cover being torn in half. Corner Bends : Evident. Spine Stress Marks : Spine can have some tears, usually around the staples. Tears must be less than 1/4 inch. Staples : Loose staples with some rust allowed. Writing : All writing allowed except in excessive cases where large magic markers are used or if it detracts from the story in some way. Rubber Stamps : Allowed unless excessive. Tape : Allowed unless excessive such as duct tape. Pieces Missing : 2 inch square pieces on cover, 3 inch square on back, and 1 inch square from interior corners allowed. Clipped coupons from back cover allowed, but not from interior. Note, this is not the same as coupons used to redeem "free" comic books. Fingerprints : Allowed. Water stains : Allowed unless excessive. Browning Paper : Browning is allowed, and slightly brittle. Spine Rolling : Allowed. Folds : Allowed. Off-Center Printing : Allowed. Cover Scuff Marks : Allowed. FAIR ( FR : 10%; Overstreet 14- 5 ) Very heavily read and soiled, but still complete. Damaged beyond collectability for most collectors, brings 30 to 50 percent of the good price. Tears : Tears are allowed short of the cover being torn in half. Corner Bends : Evident. Spine Stress Marks : Spine can have tears, usually around the staples. Tears must be less than 1 inch. Staples : Loose staples with rust allowed. Writing : All writing allowed except in excessive cases where large magic markers are used or if it detracts from the story in some way. Rubber Stamps : Allowed unless excessive. Tape : Allowed unless excessive such as duct tape. Pieces Missing : Missing pieces allowed, but the story is still readable. Clipped coupons allowed. Fingerprints : Allowed. Water stains : Allowed unless excessive. Browning Paper : Browning and brittleness allowed. Spine Rolling : Allowed. Folds : Allowed. Off-Center Printing : Allowed. Cover Scuff Marks : Allowed. POOR ( PR : 5%; Overstreet 4 - 1 ) Sufficiently degraded so as to have little or no collector value. Often severely stained, abraded, defaced, or damaged beyond readability. Tears : Allowed short of the book being torn in half. Corner Bends : Evident. Spine Stress Marks : Spine has tears. Staples : Loose staples with rust allowed. Writing : All writing allowed. Rubber Stamps : Allowed. Tape : Allowed. Pieces Missing : Allowed. Fingerprints : Allowed. Water stains : Allowed. Browning Paper : Brown and brittle. Spine Rolling : Allowed. Folds : Allowed. Off-Center Printing : Allowed. Cover Scuff Marks : Allowed. [/quote] Wasn't there another list similarly to this on here somewhere? I couldn't find it again. I've recently picked up some books and starting to 'get into' this whole grading of books thing and looking for acceptable guidelines. The above by Shark seems fair enough. Where'd you get this information Shark?

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:00:04 GMT

it has been a while i dont recall at the time but i think i found it on line at one of the links from comispriceguide.com

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Fri, 02 May 2008 22:27:32 GMT

I just needed to add a bit here... I know that grading is an art and not a science, and some people will "push" a grade to get a better price. What I always try to do is use a good standard like the Overstreet 100 point system. From that I determine a general grade for the book, lets say the book is about a FN. I then take any one defect on the book and imagine if that defect were not there. Now, is the book a step higher grade (FN to a FN+) or not. If yes, then I have the grade as a FN. If not, then I lower the grade a step to a FN- and that is my final grade. Another thing that I do on ebay is to list the description of the book and not the grade. So, if I thought the book was a FN, I then list the overstreet guide values for a VG, FN, and VF. It seems to work. regards Wolf

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 23:45:59 GMT

Hey everyone, Relatively new here, intermediate collector (5 longboxes of silverage and current)and first time post on the forums. I had a question regarding grading and I can't seem to find an answer online. What exactly is a color break? For example Overstreet says a VF book can have minor color break. Is this defined to be the white the appears [u]vertically[/u] on the spine of virtually all books or is it the [u]horizontal[/u] break in the color resulting from a crease. Hopefully it means the horizontal type or barely anything is going to rate VF for me, even comics new have that white line down the crease of the spine as soon as they are opened. Any help would be appreciated

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 23:58:54 GMT

[quote=Fooks]Hey everyone, Relatively new here, intermediate collector (5 longboxes of silverage and current)and first time post on the forums. I had a question regarding grading and I can't seem to find an answer online. What exactly is a color break? For example Overstreet says a VF book can have minor color break. Is this defined to be the white the appears [u]vertically[/u] on the spine of virtually all books or is it the [u]horizontal[/u] break in the color resulting from a crease. Hopefully it means the horizontal type or barely anything is going to rate VF for me, even comics new have that white line down the crease of the spine as soon as they are opened. Any help would be appreciated[/quote]It is the break in color resulting from a crease. Some times a crease will hardly be noticeable because it won't break the color. Other times a smaller crease will break color and be much more obvious. The most obvious examples are along the spine from bending. I hope that helps.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:04:35 GMT

It does, thanks alot! I was just confused because the grading application for this program ranks a book at Fine if you input that it has minor flaws in the spine...I was pretty sure that a VF book could have a minor colorbreak and Overstreet confirmed it.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:09:56 GMT

[quote=Fooks]It does, thanks alot! I was just confused because the grading application for this program ranks a book at Fine if you input that it has minor flaws in the spine...I was pretty sure that a VF book could have a minor colorbreak and Overstreet confirmed it. [/quote]The problem with a grading application is that it tries to be all things to everyone, and you can't grade that way. Grading has to be done on a case by case basis. You can have guides but you still need common sense. Click on my store and you'll see a list of my grading guide. I know there are a number of stores here on CCL that use it.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:32:39 GMT

I just read something the author referred to as "Marvel Chipping" and it seems to be the vertical white wear that occurs on nearly all black cover books (esp. modern). This is not listed in the OVerstreet at all? Do you guys take off on a book with this but no stress lines or anything else? Clearly it makes it not Gem Mint, or Mint..but other than that does it detract from the rating?

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:47:22 GMT

[quote=Fooks]I just read something the author referred to as "Marvel Chipping" and it seems to be the vertical white wear that occurs on nearly all black cover books (esp. modern). This is not listed in the OVerstreet at all? Do you guys take off on a book with this but no stress lines or anything else? Clearly it makes it not Gem Mint, or Mint..but other than that does it detract from the rating?[/quote]That's not "Marvel Chipping". Back in the 1960's Marvel comics were poorly cut causing tiny tears on the edge of many covers. These tears often resulted in small chips coming of the edge of the books, usually about 1/4" or less. It was so common and since it only occured on Marvel comics it was given that name. The Vertical wear you're referring to is called spine stress. It is also sometimes refered to as "Crows Feet", although not as much today as it used to be. It goes back to what you were talking about before as to color break. The color break shows up much more often on dark covers, making them harder to find in high grade. Amazing Spider-Man 28 (1st Molten Man) and Marvel Spotlight 5 (1st Ghost Rider) are prime examples, but there are many others.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 01:22:22 GMT

Wow I am learning. Hey I been outta school for 19 years now. Stop this immediately. Just kidding. Good information. Brett

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:14:46 GMT

If you go to CGC's website they list what it costs for grading based on the book values. They also tell you where to send them a the approximate turn-around times. You can pay more to get it done faster.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sun, 03 May 2009 13:36:42 GMT

Grading comics is easier than most people think. The hardest part is that it's a matter of discipline and not "willling" the book into a higher grade than it is. Anyone who has taken a Research Design class in college would know to apply one of the tenets of science to this: Falsify. Essentially, like in science when falsifying a theory, you should falsify the comic when grading it. Find out what's wrong with it. If you can't find something wrong with it, then it's mint. Then work down from there. Disregard how nice the paper is, because the paper [i]should[/i] be nice. Don't disregard the bent corner because it "isn't that bad". Falsify the book. Argue why it's in a lower grade - if you have no argument then you have no flaws. That's how I've always done it - from a science-of-psychology perspective. :)

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:26:41 GMT

The grading system has always been very odd system to me. My main reason for confusion is that a mint comic is a fluke. Every comic I have ever seen in comic shops or from eBay has had some small defect so unless you were at the printers when an issue came off the line you won't find a mint comic. Most issues that I see at the shop have some sort of where on the spine and that's probably from being packaged, shipped, and handled. On the other hand, I can't think of a better system to grade the condition of comic book. When. I do buy comic books on eBay I always drop the seller's grade one level just to keep myself mentally prepared to be let down, but since I am one of those OCD collector's I try to buy NM comics.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:00:35 GMT

[quote=nickb512]The grading system has always been very odd system to me. My main reason for confusion is that a mint comic is a fluke. Every comic I have ever seen in comic shops or from eBay has had some small defect so unless you were at the printers when an issue came off the line you won't find a mint comic. Most issues that I see at the shop have some sort of where on the spine and that's probably from being packaged, shipped, and handled. On the other hand, I can't think of a better system to grade the condition of comic book. When. I do buy comic books on eBay I always drop the seller's grade one level just to keep myself mentally prepared to be let down, but since I am one of those OCD collector's I try to buy NM comics. [/quote] Mint comics are a fluke, and that's what makes them hot commodities. And actually, most of the comics we buy and think are Nmt aren't. They are actually VF+. Most of the comics you buy off the rack thinking are Near Mint copies are probably VF+. If someone has a complete VF+ collection with a few true Nmnt or Mint books then they've got a helluva collection. Most people don't realize this though and call their VF/VF+ books Nmt.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:12:56 GMT

It's a problem of assumption on the new books, and atomatically thinking they're NM/M. They might be, but not neccesarily, depending on what kind of printing bindinery defects exist, and then as mentioned in the prior few posts, the initial packaging, shipping, and handling of teh books prior to ever hitting the shelves at your LCS. I have two shops in town: one the manager is fine with anyone standing there and reading the books, but not buying them. The other, the owner is right there as soon as you pick something up checking to make sure you are actually going to buy, if not, you better put it down. I guess what I'm saying is that the "brand new" comics at the one shop could have very well have been read a few times before you ever pick them up.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:33:23 GMT

I gotta agree. Just because a comic is on a comic shelf doesn't automatically preclude it from being in NM condition. It really depends on the condition of the comic. Chances are that the comic in front of the rest has been flipped through a few times so dig back a couple and grab the one that hasn't been manhandled! Be sure to scrutinize it and if it fits the criteria of a NM book then it might a NM book.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:41:52 GMT

[quote=ErrantEntertainment]I gotta agree. Just because a comic is on a comic shelf doesn't automatically preclude it from being in NM condition. It really depends on the condition of the comic. Chances are that the comic in front of the rest has been flipped through a few times so dig back a couple and grab the one that hasn't been manhandled! Be sure to scrutinize it and if it fits the criteria of a NM book then it might a NM book.[/quote] Jim is quite right here. What I usually do is pick up the group of a given issue (CAREFULLY) and fan them slightly to look at the spines - a very common location for problems. Then after picking a book or two with least/no spine defects, I check that book for other problems (corners, creases, etc.) You can find NM books, just gotta look carefully.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:05:40 GMT

I definately agree as well. Just as you should not assume a comic is NM just because it is new, you should not assume it is not. The term NM does not mean the same thing today, as it did ten years ago. imo there are four distinct grades that are all NM: NM-(9.2), NM(9.4), NM+(9.6), NM/M(9.8). Another thing to check for when looking for the nicest copy, is fingerprints. These are usually hard to see, unless you hold the comic flat in your hand and turn it so you can that sort of reflection from the light, and often helps to reveal any fingerprints if present.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:31:19 GMT

Another side to this discussion are claims of NM/MT, MT, or GEM books. In my experience these books are VERY VERY VERY VERY ... (you get the idea) RARE. Be extremely wary of any seller, either here or in a shop, who gives this grade in any kind of frequency. (Ok, I just unleashed a monster...) Personally, I would not buy a high dollar book of this grade from anyone unless I could examine it myself or had a personal relationship with the seller. And shipping a book like this would give me nightmares. Even the process of handling the book for packing could easily result in degradation! Buyer definitely beware of NM/M, M, or Gem grades.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:39:11 GMT

[quote=comicscastle][quote=Fooks]Hey everyone, Relatively new here, intermediate collector (5 longboxes of silverage and current)and first time post on the forums. I had a question regarding grading and I can't seem to find an answer online. What exactly is a color break? For example Overstreet says a VF book can have minor color break. Is this defined to be the white the appears [u]vertically[/u] on the spine of virtually all books or is it the [u]horizontal[/u] break in the color resulting from a crease. Hopefully it means the horizontal type or barely anything is going to rate VF for me, even comics new have that white line down the crease of the spine as soon as they are opened. Any help would be appreciated[/quote]It is the break in color resulting from a crease. Some times a crease will hardly be noticeable because it won't break the color. Other times a smaller crease will break color and be much more obvious. The most obvious examples are along the spine from bending. I hope that helps.[/quote] This is interesting to me. I'm surprised that Overstreet would allow a minor color break on VF. My own opinion on this subject (for what it's worth) is that VF should be just one step down from NM. So this book should be in Really nice condition i.e. very flat, sharp coners, and shiny cover. It should look like new (not news stand new, comic shop new) but have just a few minor flaws that brings it down from NM. For example maybe a few invisible creases in the spine. If the book is perfect with the exception of 1 small crease with color break (1/8th of an inch) I might put it in VF or VF-. What is other peoples opinion on this. What do you call it when the color rubs off from rubbing against other comics?

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:06:42 GMT

[quote=bovard]I definately agree as well. Just as you should not assume a comic is NM just because it is new, you should not assume it is not. The term NM does not mean the same thing today, as it did ten years ago. imo there are four distinct grades that are all NM: NM-(9.2), NM(9.4), NM+(9.6), NM/M(9.8). Another thing to check for when looking for the nicest copy, is fingerprints. These are usually hard to see, unless you hold the comic flat in your hand and turn it so you can that sort of reflection from the light, and often helps to reveal any fingerprints if present. [/quote] How do you distinguish the difference between NM- and NM (and so on)? Because of my lack of familiarity with printers defects I never grade anything MINT. If a book looks perfect to me, I just give it a NM grade. I'm not going to go through each page and make sure that it is white, white, with no small tears and cut perfectly square. I'm mostly concerned with the wear on the cover. I may allow a book to be called NM- if it is in perfect condition (no noticeable wear or fading) with the exception of one invisible 1/8th of an inch crease. It's true that it is very rare to find a book without some kind of wear. Most books have a few to many small, invisible creases in the spine. As far as grading books goes. I am more hard on my books than on others because I want perfect books, ones with out those unsightly spine creases.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:07:05 GMT

It does get into the area of subjectivity sometimes. But, imo, in an otherwise perfect comic, without any other flaws whatsoever, and there is a single 1/8" spine crease, to me that goes from NM/M(9.8) down to NM(9.4), skipping NM+(9.6). That of course is assuming an absolutely pristine copy otherwise. Any other very minor flaw, or accumulation of flaws, and it gets donwgraded even more. The rubbing I think you are talking about is shelfwear, and that's a little trickier to figure out exactly how much does it detract from a given book. It's of course baseed on the severity, but there is no way to quantify shelfwear, so it's subjective. I get books via ebay and ccl all the time that are listed as VF, VF/NM, or even higher, maybe they don't have any creases, corner bends, etc, but some shelfwear might be present. Imo, shelfwear is a pretty large detraction to any book and should downgrade it at least a full grade, or more, from whatever the grade would have been if the shelfwear was not there. The exception to this is once you get below FN or VG/FN, as these grades allow for a larger number of defects and usually already have so many problems, that a little shelfwear does not really matter that much. hope that helps. :-)

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:14:12 GMT

Shelf wear is tricky because it might have been done at the printers in which case it is a printers defect, but I agree with you. It is very unsightly and should be down graded one grade (i.e. NM to VF on an otherwise perfect book) I hate shelf wear!>:p

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:25:02 GMT

[quote=thomas4d4][quote=bovard]I definately agree as well. Just as you should not assume a comic is NM just because it is new, you should not assume it is not. The term NM does not mean the same thing today, as it did ten years ago. imo there are four distinct grades that are all NM: NM-(9.2), NM(9.4), NM+(9.6), NM/M(9.8). Another thing to check for when looking for the nicest copy, is fingerprints. These are usually hard to see, unless you hold the comic flat in your hand and turn it so you can that sort of reflection from the light, and often helps to reveal any fingerprints if present. [/quote] How do you distinguish the difference between NM- and NM (and so on)? Because of my lack of familiarity with printers defects I never grade anything MINT. If a book looks perfect to me, I just give it a NM grade. I'm not going to go through each page and make sure that it is white, white, with no small tears and cut perfectly square. I'm mostly concerned with the wear on the cover. I may allow a book to be called NM- if it is in perfect condition (no noticeable wear or fading) with the exception of one invisible 1/8th of an inch crease. It's true that it is very rare to find a book without some kind of wear. Most books have a few to many small, invisible creases in the spine. As far as grading books goes. I am more hard on my books than on others because I want perfect books, ones with out those unsightly spine creases.[/quote] To me it's the difference between tiny flaws, some of which could be printing bindery defects, (I'm slightly more lenient with those because the comic was produced that way, but I alo have to assume that there are some of those same books out there, without the given printing bindery defect, and thus would grade higher) I never call a book Mint either. To me NM/Mint(9.8) is the highest I go. This is a book that has absolutely no flaws whatsoever. NM+(9.6) This is still a beautiful book, but maybe a very minor production flaw - tiny corner nick. NM(9.4) Again, still a preetyy nice book, maybe one 1/8" spine crease OR one tiny 1/16" to 1/8" corner bend without color break or wrinkling-it's very very minor, hardly noticeable. NM-(9.2) a book with say TWO of the previously mentioned flaws, but it gets tricky because from here any acumulation of defects really start to downgrade your book in a hurry. These higher grades really are books that have not been handled, or, if so very carefully. You start adding a few fingerprints, and three or more 1/8" spine creases, or corner bends, etc, and the grade goes down pretty quickly.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:31:34 GMT

[quote=thomas4d4]Shelf wear is tricky because it might have been done at the printers in which case it is a printers defect, but I agree with you. It is very unsightly and should be down graded one grade (i.e. NM to VF on an otherwise perfect book) I hate shelf wear!>:p [/quote] Me too, it's awful. For older books, that I can't afford in higher grade, it's not so bad, but on Modern Age books, I can' stand it. That's a good point about shelfwear as a printers defect. It's definately possible as the books are sliding across each other in the production process, there can be that scratching or dragging. Sometimes you get some ink drag as well, which is a printing/bindery defect, and is hard to pin down as far as how much it detracts.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:00:02 GMT

[quote=Thomas4d4]This is interesting to me. I'm surprised that Overstreet would allow a minor color break on VF. My own opinion on this subject (for what it's worth) is that [b]VF should be just one step down from NM. So this book should be in Really nice condition i.e. very flat, sharp coners, and shiny cover. It should look like new[/b] (not news stand new, comic shop new) but have just a few minor flaws that brings it down from NM. For example maybe a few invisible creases in the spine. If the book is perfect with the exception of 1 small crease with color break (1/8th of an inch) I might put it in VF or VF-. Because of my lack of familiarity with printers defects I never grade anything MINT. [b]If a book looks perfect to me, I just give it a NM grade.[/b] I'm not going to go through each page and make sure that it is white, white, with no small tears and cut perfectly square. I'm mostly concerned with the wear on the cover. [/quote] Here is part of the issue and why so many retailers get nailed with negative feedback over condition. Collectors have been training themselves over the years to start believing that VF conditions comic books should be more like NM comic books and NM comic books should be more like Mint comic books and Mint comic books don't exist. I mean sh1t, people, why don't we just get rid of the Mint grade value and make NM the highest grade possible? a NM comic book is just that NEAR mint. It's not Mint but it's almost perfect (like your definition of a VF book). VF books are NOT NEAR mint, they can have a (one or two) color breaks or a corner crease (small less than 1/8"). As much as I dislike CGC they did do one thing right. They instituted a point system. Points are not words that people can interpret differently which is precicely what is happening with the currently "raw" grading system. The problem though is that the point system has more and stringent criteria and is difficult for the average collector to master. Anyway, I have only one book in my collection that I have graded as Mint because it's the only one I own that is mint.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:37:00 GMT

[quote=ErrantEntertainment][quote=Thomas4d4]This is interesting to me. I'm surprised that Overstreet would allow a minor color break on VF. My own opinion on this subject (for what it's worth) is that [b]VF should be just one step down from NM. So this book should be in Really nice condition i.e. very flat, sharp coners, and shiny cover. It should look like new[/b] (not news stand new, comic shop new) but have just a few minor flaws that brings it down from NM. For example maybe a few invisible creases in the spine. If the book is perfect with the exception of 1 small crease with color break (1/8th of an inch) I might put it in VF or VF-. Because of my lack of familiarity with printers defects I never grade anything MINT. [b]If a book looks perfect to me, I just give it a NM grade.[/b] I'm not going to go through each page and make sure that it is white, white, with no small tears and cut perfectly square. I'm mostly concerned with the wear on the cover. [/quote] Here is part of the issue and why so many retailers get nailed with negative feedback over condition. Collectors have been training themselves over the years to start believing that VF conditions comic books should be more like NM comic books and NM comic books should be more like Mint comic books and Mint comic books don't exist. I mean sh1t, people, why don't we just get rid of the Mint grade value and make NM the highest grade possible? a NM comic book is just that NEAR mint. It's not Mint but it's almost perfect (like your definition of a VF book). VF books are NOT NEAR mint, they can have a (one or two) color breaks or a corner crease (small less than 1/8"). As much as I dislike CGC they did do one thing right. They instituted a point system. Points are not words that people can interpret differently which is precicely what is happening with the currently "raw" grading system. The problem though is that the point system has more and stringent criteria and is difficult for the average collector to master. Anyway, I have only one book in my collection that I have graded as Mint because it's the only one I own that is mint.[/quote] I agree to a point, that point being that I don't know about printers defects ( cover and interior pages being off center and such.) and don't really care to know. If the cover is shiny, flat and crease free, I'm a happy boy. I don't really care so much if the interior pages are off white, off center or if one of the pages was misfolded by the printer or what not (within reason of coarse.) I'll let the experts nit pick over it, and I'll just stick to good enough (NM). It's nice to get some confirmation from other collectors that my thinking is not so far off from theirs.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:36:58 GMT

From Comics Price guide.com - "VERY FINE/NEAR MINT : 9.0 Slightly better condition than VERY FINE +:8.5, but in lesser conditions than the grade above. VERY FINE+ : 8.5 VERY FINE : 8.0 VERY FINE - : 7.5 A very fine comic book appears to have been read a few times and has been handled with some care. This one allows for some more defects. * Some of the above defects along with a small fold or crease in the cover. * Very few stress marks on spine. * A few small [b][color=blue]chips[/color][/b] on the cover * The cover has some slight surface wear but still has its original gloss and there is nothing major wrong with it. Overall an exceptional, still very collectible." What's chipping?

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:46:37 GMT

I'm not sure what they are referring to as "chips." I don't think they mean "Marvel Chipping" The context in which they are using the term does not exactly make sense to me.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:16:38 GMT

[quote=thomas4d4]From Comics Price guide.com - "VERY FINE/NEAR MINT : 9.0 Slightly better condition than VERY FINE +:8.5, but in lesser conditions than the grade above. VERY FINE+ : 8.5 VERY FINE : 8.0 VERY FINE - : 7.5 A very fine comic book appears to have been read a few times and has been handled with some care. This one allows for some more defects. * Some of the above defects along with a small fold or crease in the cover. * Very few stress marks on spine. * A few small [b][color=blue]chips[/color][/b] on the cover * The cover has some slight surface wear but still has its original gloss and there is nothing major wrong with it. Overall an exceptional, still very collectible." What's chipping?[/quote]Best guess would be at the top or bottom of the spine where the edge is sometimes slightly torn in the cutting process. This is most common on thicker books and is a printing defect.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:27:46 GMT

I think chipping tends to occur only in the older books. New books tend not to have that defect. It's when small bits flake off, and tend to be nearer the edges or spine, especially with a more sever crease. Overall, to me, the condition of the comic is pretty subjective, and I tend to go for VF... this way, I don't get too disappointed when I receive the comic. To be honest, the near mint criteria seems to have become more stringent as the years go by

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:02:31 GMT

Here's something that I've seen on a few books, and I don't know how to qualify it: When lines are present on the cover as if it has been used as a writing board. I'm not talking excessively, maybe 2 or 3 lines. Are these considered 'scuff marks'? What would the highest allowable grade for this be?

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:16:21 GMT

[quote=4saken1]Here's something that I've seen on a few books, and I don't know how to qualify it: When lines are present on the cover as if it has been used as a writing board. I'm not talking excessively, maybe 2 or 3 lines. Are these considered 'scuff marks'? What would the highest allowable grade for this be?[/quote] Good question. Do these break color? Or are they more like an indentation in the cover?

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:20:05 GMT

Comicnutz and I were talking about this just the other day. I think it really depends on how noticeable the lines are. If they don't break the color but can be seen [i]without[/i] tilting the book into a glare, and the book would be NM otherwise, I see it as no higher than a VF book. If the indentation is barely noticeable and [i]must[/i] be tilted into a glare to see, and the book is otherwise NM, then I see it as being no higher than NM-. That said, you must also take into consideration other defects and grade accordingly.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:29:07 GMT

Thanks, guys! By 'break color', do you mean that they cause a loss of ink, or that they span from one color to the next? I have an ASM #300, which otherwise would have been a VF/NM, were it not for a noticable indent. Upun tilting it, you can see a couple more. I gave it a VF-, just to be safe.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:19:47 GMT

[quote=4saken1]Thanks, guys! By 'break color', do you mean that they cause a loss of ink, or that they span from one color to the next?[/quote] Books can have creases that are visible, yet the ink on the book is still there within the crease. Other creases or lines break the color in the printing which as you stated causes a loss of ink within the line. The first is the lesser of the defects.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:27:28 GMT

i dont know a whole lot about grading myself but i do know that AlphaComics, Comicscastle and CuriousGoods and Comics do!;-)

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:36:25 GMT

[quote=firstgeer][quote=shark]MINT ( M or MT : 125% ~ 150% ; Overstreet 100-98 ) Near perfect in every way. Only the most subtle bindery or printing defects are allowed. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Cover inks are bright with high reflectivity and minimal fading. Corners are cut square and sharp. Staples are generally centered and clean with no rust. Cover is generally centered and firmly secured to interior pages. Paper is supple and fresh. Spine is tight and flat. Yes, comics in this grade do exist, but they are extremely rare for one simple reason - this is the most subjective of all the grades. What qualifies as Mint to one person may have a small, almost unnoticeable flaw that downgrades it to Near Mint for someone else. Your typical comic in the pull file or on the newsstand is _not_ in mint condition, but is instead in near mint condition because of these extremely minor flaws. (cut for space) [/quote] I think there is a very inherrent flaw in grading comics by this scale, and this particular grade parameter shows it. There is no such thing as a MINT comic book. It just doesn't happen. Follow. How does it get out of the printer? How does it get to the bindery? How does it arrive in the store, in the bag, in your collection????? It had to be touched by someone, something, somewhere. No longer MINT. The most you could pray for is NEAR MINT, but even then, that's a stretch. I would say that most comics are no better than VERY FINE, regardless of what one might want or wish. That guy/gal at the LCS is only getting minimum wage; don't think they really care if you get MINT books, not for that price anyway. The third party graders probably have their place in the market, but to what end? Artificially inflating the value of paper? Paper, which by the way, they touch (probably gloved), open, peruse, flip pages, etc. Is that comic MINT, NEAR MINT, or the more likely candidate, VERY FINE? Bottom line is this: Grading is subjective to the person doing the grading, whether it is us or a third party. A true book's value is not determined by the grader, but by how much someone is willing to lay out for that book.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:46:13 GMT

If we stop thinking MINT doesn't exist and actually call a book with no flaws MINT, and a book with very, very few flaws NEAR MINT, and a book with a few more flaws VERY FINE then it becomes less subjective. There are good grading guides out there, I just think people need to be re-educated in the fine art of grading and standardize on a single grading system. If Overstreet, CGC, PGX, and everyone else would standardize then there wouldn't be such ambiguity because a seller might be grading using one system but a buyer might be expecting the book based on grades from another. Subjective is a very, very bad term to use when grading a book. It immediately throws up a red flag to seasoned buyers and frustrates new ones. I've seen that word get more sellers into trouble than not. The best thing that I've learned is to either stand by your grading and have ample evidence to back up your claim or concede to the buyers complaint.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:59:36 GMT

[quote=Army30th] Bottom line is this: Grading is subjective to the person doing the grading, whether it is us or a third party. A true book's value is not determined by the grader, but by how much someone is willing to lay out for that book. [/quote] IMO Mint comics do exist, however they are extremely rare. Just because a book has been handled, does not automatically mean that it is no longer mint, but probably. I agree that the Printing/Bindery process alone will almost always create some flaw that prevents a comic from reaching this category, and then as you mention, shipping handling, etc., you're lucky if it's still NM. But, that's not absolute. If you look at the terminology alone, it's not quite right; comics are not from a "Mint." Coins are. That's where the term is borrowed from. And, what it means is a coin that is in the exact same condition as when it was "minted," (nothing stating that it can never have been held, or shipped) (and of course no production flaws). Comics are printed and bound, so perhaps a "Mint" comic should really be referred to as "Print," (as in the exact condition as when printed), but again does not mean it could not have been held, or shipped) But here presents an entirely new set of problems with the terminology. We all know how rare it is for a comic not to have some kind Printing/Bindery flaw, no matter how small, that ultimately prevents it from being "Mint." As far as subjectivity: Yes, certain aspects of grading are subjective. BUT, there are rules too. And there is what is generally accepted as a certain grade between experienced colectors. So, some subjectivity is always going to be there, but too many collectors use it as an excuse not to learn how to properly grade, or overgrade.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:03:39 GMT

Thats a great point Bovard, and one I hadn't considered. The idea of a book being "Print" is not a bad one really. It's sounds a little funny at first but when you think about it, it makes sense.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:09:38 GMT

Quick question for Bovard and ComicsCastle. In a book that would otherwise be classified as Very Good can this also include a detached centerfold? Please see Fantastic Four #72 in my collection. http://www.comiccollectorlive.com/LiveData/Seller.aspx?id=c7b7df08-1776-4f38-90a9-384baeeccddd [img]http://www.jimnunn.com/images/FantasticFour72Front.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.jimnunn.com/images/FantasticFour72Back.jpg[/img]

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:10:50 GMT

According to the Overstreet Grading Guide, for the grade (4.0) Very Good, "Centerfold may be loose or detached at one staple." However, it also states (for the same grade) "Only minor unobtrusive tape and other amateur repair allowed." Your book definately looks VG, it's just a matter of the centerfold. I think you cover you your bases by mentioning in your listing, "this is a VG book, but the centerfold is detached from both staples." Overstreet is not the end all of grading, they are a GUIDE, and can't encompass every sitution. Sure, general rules are great, but sometimes there are circimstances. Anyway, in this case, it might be possible to reatach the centerfold - and not affect the grade at all - possibly improve it. Personally, I like comics that are all together, even if that means some very minor repair. Usually it's a very last resort, imo, and on lower grade books, where it's considered acceptable for the grade. I would also be interested to here Pat's opinion, and anyone else who has an idea about this type of situation. hope that helps. :-)

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:47:30 GMT

Awesome thanks Miles. I put a note in the details about the detached centerfold as you suggested. I looked to see if I could put it back by slightly bending the staples outward but it doesn't look like I'll be able to. There is a tiny slit between the holds in the paper that prevents it. It's too bad really because if it weren't for the fading on the cover and the centerfold problem it could almost grade as a Fine book. (almost)

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:18:44 GMT

In a case like this it is possible to use a small piece of archival tape to fix it in an almost invisible manor. put it on the part that will be hidden inside the book, not the centerfold. And use archival tape because it is made not to brown with age. I got mine at an art supply store. It's been very useful to me over the years sprucing up my old books. Often you can't raise the grade of books because the repairs are often visible but you do make the books easy to handle again (which I like) and much more presentable. In this case you might get away with actually raising the grade. I would lower the grade .5 points from the grade of an unrestored book just to be fair.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:37:56 GMT

thats a 4 maybe 4.5 you could even get lucky and get a 5 . those staple tears hurt a lot . keep the book frame it or trade it to me . any instant awesome book

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:42:52 GMT

[quote=NEXTLVL]thats a 4 maybe 4.5 you could even get lucky and get a 5 . those staple tears hurt a lot . keep the book frame it or trade it to me . any instant awesome book [/quote] I'll trade it to you for $7 to $9 :~>

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:51:25 GMT

really

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:03:20 GMT

[quote=thomas4d4]In a case like this it is possible to use a small piece of archival tape to fix it in an almost invisible manor. put it on the part that will be hidden inside the book, not the centerfold. And use archival tape because it is made not to brown with age. I got mine at an art supply store. It's been very useful to me over the years sprucing up my old books. Often you can't raise the grade of books because the repairs are often visible but you do make the books easy to handle again (which I like) and much more presentable. In this case you might get away with actually raising the grade. I would lower the grade .5 points from the grade of an unrestored book just to be fair. [/quote] This is the type of repair I was thinking of. As far as potentially raising the grade, it would be if your book was GD, or GD/VG, you could potentially raise it to VG, if it's otherwise nice enough. But, it's more for reading, you don't have to worry about the centfold falling out, or getting separated from the book. :-)

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:37:31 GMT

Cool ok. I think I'll go get some of that tape tonite and repair it.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:43:03 GMT

[quote=bovard]According to the Overstreet Grading Guide, for the grade (4.0) Very Good, "Centerfold may be loose or detached at one staple." However, it also states (for the same grade) "Only minor unobtrusive tape and other amateur repair allowed." Your book definately looks VG, it's just a matter of the centerfold. I think you cover you your bases by mentioning in your listing, "this is a VG book, but the centerfold is detached from both staples." Overstreet is not the end all of grading, they are a GUIDE, and can't encompass every sitution. Sure, general rules are great, but sometimes there are circimstances. Anyway, in this case, it might be possible to reatach the centerfold - and not affect the grade at all - possibly improve it. Personally, I like comics that are all together, even if that means some very minor repair. Usually it's a very last resort, imo, and on lower grade books, where it's considered acceptable for the grade. I would also be interested to here Pat's opinion, and anyone else who has an idea about this type of situation. hope that helps. :-) [/quote] Sorry to be so late answering this Jim, but you could just about copy everything bovard said and attribute it to me. If it was going in your collection I would suggest repairing it just for the practice, but since you're selling it just leave it as is, make the note in the Market Notes, and let the buyer decide if he wants to repair it or not.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:58:17 GMT

[quote=comicscastle][quote=bovard]According to the Overstreet Grading Guide, for the grade (4.0) Very Good, "Centerfold may be loose or detached at one staple." However, it also states (for the same grade) "Only minor unobtrusive tape and other amateur repair allowed." Your book definately looks VG, it's just a matter of the centerfold. I think you cover you your bases by mentioning in your listing, "this is a VG book, but the centerfold is detached from both staples." Overstreet is not the end all of grading, they are a GUIDE, and can't encompass every sitution. Sure, general rules are great, but sometimes there are circimstances. Anyway, in this case, it might be possible to reatach the centerfold - and not affect the grade at all - possibly improve it. Personally, I like comics that are all together, even if that means some very minor repair. Usually it's a very last resort, imo, and on lower grade books, where it's considered acceptable for the grade. I would also be interested to here Pat's opinion, and anyone else who has an idea about this type of situation. hope that helps. :-) [/quote] Sorry to be so late answering this Jim, but you could just about copy everything bovard said and attribute it to me. If it was going in your collection I would suggest repairing it just for the practice, but since you're selling it just leave it as is, make the note in the Market Notes, and let the buyer decide if he wants to repair it or not.[/quote] Oh ok cool. I wasn't sure if I should or not. I guess I'll leave it as-is then since I don't plan on keeping it. Thanks alot guys. You've been a huge help!

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:29:15 GMT

[quote=ErrantEntertainment]Comicnutz and I were talking about this just the other day. I think it really depends on how noticeable the lines are. If they don't break the color but can be seen [i]without[/i] tilting the book into a glare, and the book would be NM otherwise, I see it as no higher than a VF book. If the indentation is barely noticeable and [i]must[/i] be tilted into a glare to see, and the book is otherwise NM, then I see it as being no higher than NM-. That said, you must also take into consideration other defects and grade accordingly.[/quote] This is where common sense comes in. A NM book with a pen indentation (no ink) is no longer NM, but it definitely doesn't qualify as F/VF. I would give it a VF or VF+ grade. It all depends on how it compares to other books of similar grade. For me this is the whole point, compare different graded books to the one you want to grade and find out where you think it fits. Start with a NM book and then get your F book (one that is complete and in intact, is well worn but has no major rips, tears, or creases) and fit the books in accordingly. I use the CBPG to judge the lower grades (size of tears, staple tears, pieces missing, coverless).

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:09:33 GMT

I give it a once over to get a general idea of the grade. I then use the grading wizard from Comicbase software. It has drop down menus to get your grade. Other than that, there's e-bigs.net.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:14:11 GMT

When my partner and I started West End Comics two-and-a-half years ago on eBay, we wanted to grade a comic as well as we could, so we bought Overstreet Grading Guide - it was incredibly helpful. We still use it to guide our work on making the best grading decisions possible on all our comics. That's my two-cents worth. Steve

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:52:35 GMT

I think a BIG problem is the scope of the VERY GOOD grade, there is a big difference between range of 54 to 36. If a seller describes it as VG and we assume a 1/2 grade error +/-, what you get is up in the air. Another challenge in grading is what I will call a "QUALIFIED GRADE". In other words a fine+ book with some brown pages. or a VERY FINE book except for a light stain on the back. Or a fine/very fine silver grade Marvel with some "chipping" on the edge of the front cover. In other words it almost all of the characteristics of a FINE/VERY FINE, but the pages are a little browner than they should be....tricky to grade these. A CGC grade of less that 6.5 is almost a curse on some books, they literally sell for more if you break them out of the plastic.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:58:32 GMT

To add to my last post, I have several examles of most CGC in my collection....In other words I have a 9.8, 9.6, 9.4, 9.2, 9.0, 8.5, 7.0, 6.5, 6.0, 5.0, amd 4.0 I think is my lowest grade. So I can see examples from CGC to help me even though I can't see the interior pages. I think CGC is extremely picky so it gives you an upper end of the grade. A few examples from a PRO sure helps in understanding how grading works. In General....I would say comic books on Ebay are described a full grade higher than they are. Every once in a while I will get one undergraded...so look at the pictures carefully.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:21:01 GMT

I agree with you Morbious 101, it is difficult to grade the lower grade books. I rely on the pictures. Often what people call VF on E-Bay is what I call F (it has creases and color loss on the spine). Luckily the lower grades often get overlooked by most on E-Bay because everyone wants high grades so you can pick up some great deals here, but it's good to get good pictures and ask questions. I tend to think that a G book is beat but readable (staple or staples detached, lots of creases, and maybe some small chunks missing), while a VG book is in between G and F (a book that has some creases on the spine and corners but is otherwise in great condition).

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:30:21 GMT

I don't bother myself much with the current state of comic book grading. Mostly because it's far too open to a mixture of interpretation, wishful thinking and/or personal desire for me to even (remotely) consider it as an accurate (or even valid) pricing medium. The true worth (or grade) of a comic book, for me, often lies in it's nostalgic value and/or where it fills in on one of those great-old-classic story arcs. I generally buy for me and I enjoy putting together entire runs or volumes on a variety of series'. I rarely buy with the intent to re-sell, distribute or trade. Some of my "rule-of-thumb" philosophies are that: Most comic books are only worth as much as what the next guy will pay for them (I NEVER pay top-dollar for a thing - Why should I? - and I have some very nice books in my collection); Most comics out there won't become even a little interesting in (high) value until they've aged about 50 years or so; And indeed, one man's "trash" is almost always another man's "treasure" (make any sense at all?). So stop doing business with CGC (if you do so), because the only ones making out on the "deal" are CGC themselves. Paying $15.00 (or whatever) to have a book graded, that you're not even intended to enjoy afterward because it's sealed, is a ridiculous notion (and it's not even very economically sound). Just take the best care of your books that you possibly can and enjoy them!

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:38:07 GMT

CGC is for the Golden age collectors. when your paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for a book it's good to know exactly what you are buying. Is it what the seller says it is or is it a restored book? Personally I like to buy older books and repair them (use archival tape to fix loose staples and such). This way I can get key books at a fraction of the cost and still be able to read them. This is not very popular with the collecting community but for myself it's great. You would be surprised how nice some of these GOOD books come out too(as long as there are no large pieces missing from the cover).

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:33:38 GMT

I kind of agree with joebee. A sealed comic book that can never be read and enjoyed is terrible. I read every comic book that I purchase. Do I read my books with dirty hands or drink beer at the same time or eat a pizza while reading comic books? No. But I do read the comic books from front to back. I collect for the love of the stories and the love of the characters involved. I have never collected thinking I would make money off of them. I have never intended to sell my collection that I have amassed for over 20+ years. I do keep my books in bags and boards and in comic boxes; but don't really care if my whole collection isn't mint mint condition. I am just happy that my collection is mine. Everyone else can worry about CGC.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:02:59 GMT

I've been working on grading some comics to sell here on CCL, and I've had a very difficult time with the terminology used with their "online grading" tool. I mean, what is the difference between "slightly creased, mostly flat" and "minor creases, mostly flat?" With covers, we're given the choice between "very slight," "minor," "moderate, loose cover," "moderate, possibly detached cover." I've graded several books that have detached covers, or detached centerfolds, that are grading out with the CCL grading tool as "Good." How can a comic with a detached cover grade as "Good?" Can anybody assist me with my problem?

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:09:05 GMT

[quote=Tamwood]I've been working on grading some comics to sell here on CCL, and I've had a very difficult time with the terminology used with their "online grading" tool. I mean, what is the difference between "slightly creased, mostly flat" and "minor creases, mostly flat?" With covers, we're given the choice between "very slight," "minor," "moderate, loose cover," "moderate, possibly detached cover." I've graded several books that have detached covers, or detached centerfolds, that are grading out with the CCL grading tool as "Good." How can a comic with a detached cover grade as "Good?" Can anybody assist me with my problem?[/quote] Well, I'm no pro but "good" is a very low grade. Isn't "fair" the lowest? I would expect a lot of things wrong with a "good" book. If I saw a book up close I could probably get pretty close with grading but using those standards you spoke of, I'd be lost.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:44:27 GMT

[quote=dunleavy75][quote=Tamwood]I've been working on grading some comics to sell here on CCL, and I've had a very difficult time with the terminology used with their "online grading" tool. I mean, what is the difference between "slightly creased, mostly flat" and "minor creases, mostly flat?" With covers, we're given the choice between "very slight," "minor," "moderate, loose cover," "moderate, possibly detached cover." I've graded several books that have detached covers, or detached centerfolds, that are grading out with the CCL grading tool as "Good." How can a comic with a detached cover grade as "Good?" Can anybody assist me with my problem?[/quote] Well, I'm no pro but "good" is a very low grade. Isn't "fair" the lowest? I would expect a lot of things wrong with a "good" book. If I saw a book up close I could probably get pretty close with grading but using those standards you spoke of, I'd be lost.[/quote] On a the 10 point grading scale, with 10 being the highest grade, a comic in "Good" condition is a 2. This grade does allow detached covers or centerfolds. The lowest grade is actually a "poor" which equates to a 0.5 on the scale. EDIT: The [b]Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide[/b] is an excellent resource for help in grading comics.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 22:42:18 GMT

I know "Good" isn't, well, a good grade. Before I started grading these books, I'd just expected anything with a detached cover to grade out at Fair or Poor. I don't want to list stuff, and have customers complaining about receiving a "Good" book with a detached cover.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:11:32 GMT

[quote=Tamwood]I know "Good" isn't, well, a good grade. Before I started grading these books, I'd just expected anything with a detached cover to grade out at Fair or Poor. I don't want to list stuff, and have customers complaining about receiving a "Good" book with a detached cover. [/quote] That's why I recommended the Overstreet Guide. It's an excellent reference to see what defects are allowed in the various grades. Another good reference are the Grading Standards that CommicsCastle (Pat) lists for his store. They can be found at the following link. [url]http://www.angelfire.com/comics/castle/images2/standards2.jpg[/url] I find it helpful to consult multiple sources. Sometimes one source is clearer about a particular point than another.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sat, 01 May 2010 02:57:35 GMT

Alright. So I'm gonna ask another stupid question. I have a copy of Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #80. It's got a couple little creases by the spine, but my question is regarding factory binding errors. This is my copy of GL #80. I'm not sure of scan size, so I'm just gonna include the web address. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v470/HoosierBuddy/Blue%20Moon/1.jpg If you look at the spine, you'll see that there's roughly a quarter-inch (that's a guess-ta-mation) of white space, where the book wasn't bound properly when printed 40 years ago. Is this considered a binding error? Or extreme spine roll? The Overstreet grading guide for Very Fine states "Spine is almost flat with no roll." This copy has no actual roll. VF also states "a limited accumulation of minor bindery defects is allowed." F/VF states "the slightest spine roll may be present." When grading, how do you handle this issue?

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sat, 01 May 2010 10:35:05 GMT

That's a really nice book. The first thing that I look for is how clean and shiny the book is. If the inks are flat from being shuffled around too much, or is there some dirt. This determines wear, or how much it was handled. If it's got flat colors or some scuffing or dirt, your looking at most a FINE book. In you book I really can't see it well enough in the scan to say how much wear it has. It does look like there is some dirt over the word "die"on the cover, but over all it looks pretty clean. Is this the only place that this dirt shows up? The next I look for is the corners. Are they crisp and sharp, or are they slightly rounded? These corners look very nice, with the exception of the upper right corner. I think because the other corners are so fine I would over look the upper right corner as a printer defect. The next thing I would look for is the creasing. Personally I only allow a few small creases on a VERY FINE or FINE/VERY FINE book, not more than say 5 or 6, and they mustn't be too big or with color break. I even go so far as to hold it up to the light and look into the glare to detect creasing. In my opinion, if I see any creasing, no matter how invisible, it can't be more than a VF/NM. I can see quite a few small creases on this book. Without the color break at the staple,I would only give this VERY FINE - at most. Does the color break at the staple come from one of these creases or is it really a tear from the bindery? this book also has that ding on the top middle of the book. I would say a conservative grade for this book would be FINE/VERY FINE because of the relative cleaness of the book and the sharp corners. A VERY FINE - is pushing it in my opinion.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:36:41 GMT

Joe is seeking input before udgrading the grading wizard so put all your thoughts here http://www.comiccollectorlive.com/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&t=25591

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 02:42:03 GMT

Bump! Please leave ideas and comments on this thread. http://www.comiccollectorlive.com/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&t=25591

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 09:22:36 GMT

I have a question about a specific printing defect. I have an otherwise high grade Birds of Prey #8 (NM-) which has a very faint crease straight down the length of the comic. It's obvious to me that this is a factory defect and not something that happenned later. How, in general, do factory defects affect the grade in comparison to post-release ones? More specifically, how would said defect affect this particular book?

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 08:07:26 GMT

>:d< These are the scales I have seen in my 30+ years experience. And, it is still depends on the buyer/collector/seller's own opinion! This is a scale to use to put some kind of rating on the book. Put one book in a room with 5 people, you will get 4 or 5 different ratings. If you were to use every number, meaning 10.0, 9.9, 9.8, 9.7, you would not be able to match the MINT and NM scale. When you add the +/- part, you get a much wider range in the number scale that matches, [b]But[/b] you must leave out the ODD number part of the scale. If you put them in, then you leave a large portion of the 0 -10 scale, so why not just use 0-5, or 5-10. (0-10x2s)(WORDs)(5-10)(0-5)(5-10) 10.0 Mint 10 5.0 10.0 M=Mint 9.8 NM/M+ 9.9 4.9 9.9 VF=Very Fine 9.6 NM/M 9.8 4.8 9.8 F=Fine 9.4 NM/M- 9.7 4.7 9.7 VG=Very Good 9.2 NM+ 9.6 4.6 9.6 G=Good 9.0 NM 9.5 4.5 9.5 P=Poor 8.8 NM- 9.4 4.4 9.4 VP=Very Poor 8.6 VF/NM+ 9.3 4.3 9.3 B=Bad 8.4 VF/NM 9.2 4.2 9.2 T=Trash 8.2 VF/NM- 9.1 4.1 9.1 8.0 VF+ 9.0 4.0 9.0 7.8 VF 8.9 3.9 8.9 7.6 VF- 8.8 3.8 8.8 7.4 F/VF+ 8.7 3.7 8.7 7.2 F/VF 8.6 3.6 8.6 7.0 F/VF- 8.5 3.5 8.5 6.8 F+ 8.4 3.4 8.4 6.6 F 8.3 3.3 8.3 6.4 F- 8.2 3.2 8.2 6.2 VG/F+ 8.1 3.1 8.1 6.0 VG/F 8.0 3.0 8.0 5.8 VG/F- 7.9 2.9 7.9 5.6 VG+ 7.8 2.8 7.8 5.4 VG 7.7 2.7 7.7 5.2 VG- 7.6 2.6 7.6 5.0 G/VG+ 7.5 2.5 7.5 4.8 G/VG 7.4 2.4 7.4 4.6 G/VG- 7.3 2.3 7.3 4.4 G+ 7.2 2.2 7.2 4.2 G 7.1 2.1 7.1 4.0 G- 7.0 2.0 7.0 3.8 P/G+ 6.9 1.9 6.9 3.6 P/G 6.8 1.8 6.8 3.4 P/G- 6.7 1.7 6.7 3.2 P+ 6.6 1.6 6.6 3.0 P 6.5 1.5 6.5 2.8 P- 6.4 1.4 6.4 2.6 VP/P+ 6.3 1.3 6.3 2.4 VP/P 6.2 1.2 6.2 2.2 VP/P- 6.1 1.1 6.1 2.0 VP+ 6.0 1.0 6.0 1.8 VP 5.9 0.9 5.9 1.6 VP- 5.8 0.8 5.8 1.4 B/VP+ 5.7 0.7 5.7 1.2 B/VP 5.6 0.6 5.6 1.0 B/VP- 5.5 0.5 5.5 0.8 B+ 5.4 0.4 5.4 0.6 B 5.3 0.3 5.3 0.4 B- 5.2 0.2 5.2 0.2 TRASH 5.1 0.1 5.1 If you use a mixture of these, which is commonly occuring today, then you invite large quantities of different opinions! I try to stay near the two scales on the left. They are fairest, and cover each other perfectly. See, in the past few years, I have seen the addition of the +/- signs being used, which is a good thing, but you need to use them all across the grade scale, as I did above. You can't use them only in the top grades to satisfy your own greed/need. APPLES TO APPLES is the rule! For my store, here is the best rating: [i]100% Satisfaction or your money back! No QUESTIONS ASKED! Just ship them back and get another or a FULL refund of your money (return shipping not refunded. Replacement shipping paid by me).[/i] SO, this is just my 2 cents worth, or was that 2.0 cents, or, um, .02 cents worth..oh NM (that's never mind, not near mint).;-)

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 02:19:56 GMT

Hello, I'm new here =) Sorry if this question is not in the right place but... I have an x-men 101 that is a solid VF but it has one staple half way pulled through. Does anyone know how much that would affect the grade as I'm not really sure. Thanks a bunch! -Jayzen

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 03:35:49 GMT

[quote=danwes1]In my humble opinion, ebay is a comic sales forum [i]only[/i]. eBay is to me simply a "pulse" of the industry giving up valuable data on the comics industry in a global capacity, in general. The data durived from ebay is some of the most important data to any collector, .[/quote] Hello, I consider myself more the collector/enthusiast. I buy, but have never sold, a few trades with buddies maybe. I will sell maybe 1/2 my collection when I retire, for fun $$, the other half of the collection will go to my daughter or some other young enthusiast when I pass away. So "value" holds some importance to me, long term, but my primary driving factor is just whether or not it is a "cool" darn comic to ass to add to My Beloved collection. Anyway I am replying because I am curious as to how you extract the data from eBay? I am a member there, as a buyer, and I have tried finding the buttons or pull downs etc... where I can extract some old auction data, but have been unsuccessful. Is that data only available to sellers or members of a higher level?

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 04:43:00 GMT

[quote=dagma333][quote=danwes1]In my humble opinion, ebay is a comic sales forum [i]only[/i]. eBay is to me simply a "pulse" of the industry giving up valuable data on the comics industry in a global capacity, in general. The data durived from ebay is some of the most important data to any collector, .[/quote] Hello, I consider myself more the collector/enthusiast. I buy, but have never sold, a few trades with buddies maybe. I will sell maybe 1/2 my collection when I retire, for fun $$, the other half of the collection will go to my daughter or some other young enthusiast when I pass away. So "value" holds some importance to me, long term, but my primary driving factor is just whether or not it is a "cool" darn comic to ass to add to My Beloved collection. Anyway I am replying because I am curious as to how you extract the data from eBay? I am a member there, as a buyer, and I have tried finding the buttons or pull downs etc... where I can extract some old auction data, but have been unsuccessful. Is that data only available to sellers or members of a higher level?[/quote] Right next to the search box you can click "advanced", go there & and check the box for completed listings. For a while they limited data to the past 15 days but they bumped it back to 3 months. Very useful for valuing sets & key books.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:45:44 GMT

[quote=jayzen]Hello, I'm new here =) Sorry if this question is not in the right place but... I have an x-men 101 that is a solid VF but it has one staple half way pulled through. Does anyone know how much that would affect the grade as I'm not really sure. Thanks a bunch! -Jayzen[/quote] Jayzen, you may want to very carefully fix that comic yourself. I have done this a few times myself, finding that the staple did not close right. If the staple has TORN through the comic paper, this can not be fixed. Open the book up so you can see the staples inside. Carefully with a staple remover or letter opener(something flat-butter knife), pry up the folded staple teeth on the bad one. Do not just squeeze it out with the staple remover, you just want to lift and bend the teeth straight so that you can push the staple out the same way it went in. Try not to leave any marks on the paper. Something flat can do this easily without damaging or effecting the paper. THEN, Take it to KINKOS, or to the office, where they have staplers that can staple folded paper like is done in comics and magazines, newsletters etc. They can easily line up the staple head with the old holes, and put a fresh staple in there.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sun, 27 Nov 2016 02:16:34 GMT

I made a Simplified Guide to grading comics. It took quit a bit of work but here it is Very easy even if you know nothing about grading [color=red]Link to rival site removed by Moderator.[/color]

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 28 Nov 2016 11:41:00 GMT

[quote=yellowkid1894]I made a Simplified Guide to grading comics. It took quit a bit of work but here it is Very easy even if you know nothing about grading [color=red]Link to rival site removed by Moderator.[/color][/quote] How about just use the Overstreet Grading Guide?

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 28 Nov 2016 11:43:23 GMT

[quote=yourplace2][quote=jayzen]Hello, I'm new here =) Sorry if this question is not in the right place but... I have an x-men 101 that is a solid VF but it has one staple half way pulled through. Does anyone know how much that would affect the grade as I'm not really sure. Thanks a bunch! -Jayzen[/quote] Jayzen, you may want to very carefully fix that comic yourself. I have done this a few times myself, finding that the staple did not close right. If the staple has TORN through the comic paper, this can not be fixed. Open the book up so you can see the staples inside. Carefully with a staple remover or letter opener(something flat-butter knife), pry up the folded staple teeth on the bad one. Do not just squeeze it out with the staple remover, you just want to lift and bend the teeth straight so that you can push the staple out the same way it went in. Try not to leave any marks on the paper. Something flat can do this easily without damaging or effecting the paper. THEN, Take it to KINKOS, or to the office, where they have staplers that can staple folded paper like is done in comics and magazines, newsletters etc. They can easily line up the staple head with the old holes, and put a fresh staple in there. [/quote] Except replacememt staples are considered a defect and detract from the grade. On the flip side, it might be hard to tell how new a staple is if the right one is used. Yep, I just replied to a four year old comment.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 28 Nov 2016 11:46:27 GMT

[quote=Thundercron]Yep, I just replied to a four year old comment.[/quote] Probably one of the more recent posts on these here Forums...:-|

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 28 Nov 2016 15:56:10 GMT

Well, since the topic has been bumped after 4 years, I might as well ask here instead of creating a new thread. How much does the sticker that covers the digital code affect grading in Marvel comics if it's missing? (If at all) And do you think someday down the road it will have an amplified impact on the grade (similar, but not as extreme to the Marvel Value Stamps of the early 70's).

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 28 Nov 2016 17:16:59 GMT

After thinking about it, I would say a book with a missing code would be similar to a book like X-Force #1 without the polybag or trading card. The comic is still mint, but not complete with it's original contents. My opinion, anyway.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 28 Nov 2016 17:18:57 GMT

I think a better example would be a book like Amazing Spider-Man #238. The comic can still be called mint without the Tatooz, but you would get a premium if it was still intact.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Mon, 28 Nov 2016 17:34:00 GMT

Here is a thread from a few years ago on that topic: [url=http://www.comiccollectorlive.com/Forum/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=39610]Selling Digital Comic Codes[/url] It is an odd situation for sure. You're right, it's not quite like the Marvel Value Stamp or any of the other typical cut-outs that you see. I have found many Gold and Silver Age books with ads gone, order forms snipped and random stuff cut out. One time I bought an early Action Comics (can't remember the number) - it looked good from the outside but when I looked through it there were Superman shaped holes throughout the book. Someone had cut them all out, presumably to paste into a scrapbook. If removed it doesn't really affect the comic as far as readability but the digital code is supposed to be in there so I think it should be noted at least. There have been a bunch of comics over the years that have had trading cards bound in or a poster maybe. A lot of 3D comics come with glasses and if they are missing I would mention that. I don't think you could say Mint or VF/NM because to me that would indicate that said "insert" would be intact.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sun, 28 Oct 2018 14:59:26 GMT

Does anyone have any thoughts/criticisms on pressing their own books to improve the grade?

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Tue, 21 May 2019 15:04:14 GMT

Pressing comics is the big question. Do they hold up? That is my question. If I press my Amazing Spider-man # 35 - 60, how will they look in 30 years. I just purchased 1000 mylite 2 bags and half-back boards from E.Gerber. I also got their archive tape for sealing bag. Nobody can tell how it will hold up... in 30 years is the smartest thing I ever did or is it the dumbest? What do you all think?

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Tue, 21 May 2019 16:57:30 GMT

I think you misspelled "Earp." On the comic thing, I have no opinion.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sun, 27 Mar 2022 10:08:09 GMT

Question: I have an otherwise NM comic with a factory defect in which a quarter inch of the top left corner has been cut clean off. How does this affect the grade? TIA

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sun, 27 Mar 2022 11:34:36 GMT

[quote=4saken1]Question: I have an otherwise NM comic with a factory defect in which a quarter inch of the top left corner has been cut clean off. How does this affect the grade? TIA[/quote] When I see a single major defect on an otherwise NM book, I give "credit points" for it's overall condition. For example, a corner piece missing is normally found on a lower grade book (FR to VG depending on size), but because it overall is much like a NM, I'll give credit and split the difference and assign it a grade like a FN+.

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sun, 27 Mar 2022 16:28:29 GMT

Thanks for your input, Corey. I was thinking something along the same lines. I've seen different grading scales which state [i]that[/i] printing errors affect comic grades, but it's somewhat harder to identify how much they affect them. The way most grading standards are worded, they seem so absolute, though. If 'X' defect is present, then 'Y' is the highest possible grade for the comic. Seems weird that a comic with only a single defect would be essentially the same grade as another comic that had the same defect plus multiple lesser defects as well, though, IMO. I know that the 'Good' spectrum ranges from 'G/VG' to 'G-', but still.......

HOW TO GRADE COMIC BOOKS?

Sun, 27 Mar 2022 20:39:57 GMT

[quote=4saken1]Thanks for your input, Corey. I was thinking something along the same lines. I've seen different grading scales which state [i]that[/i] printing errors affect comic grades, but it's somewhat harder to identify how much they affect them. The way most grading standards are worded, they seem so absolute, though. If 'X' defect is present, then 'Y' is the highest possible grade for the comic. Seems weird that a comic with only a single defect would be essentially the same grade as another comic that had the same defect plus multiple lesser defects as well, though, IMO. I know that the 'Good' spectrum ranges from 'G/VG' to 'G-', but still.......[/quote] I totally agree. I think the CGC mindset of grading comics has taken over to a fault. For example, in the old days, "eye appeal" held greater weight in grading than specific defects. This was always explained to me basically by how a book looks overall at arm's length (with the exception of clipped coupons or water damage, of course). Nowadays the opposite is true, where CGC and others whip out the magnifying glass and hold books under light to find nearly imperceptible defects, and then massively downgrade accordingly. I think that's the wrong approach.