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feel free to copy and paste or print for easy refrence

MINT (M) Absolutely perfect in every way. As soon as it is touched it
drops to Near Mint. Mint is as an imaginary ideal that cannot be
attained in the real world.

NEAR MINT (NM) Almost perfect. Upon close inspection, one or two tiny
imperfections may be found. This is the highest grade assigned to any item
in this catalog.

VERY FINE-NEAR MINT (VFNM) An excellent copy with only minor
imperfections such as a few tiny stress lines on the spine or a minor
printing/binding defect.

VERY FINE (VF) Excellent copy with very slight wear beginning to show.
Still sharp, glossy, and clean.

FINE-VERY FINE (FVF) A glossy, clean copy with a number of small
imperfections or slight wear such as tiny stress lines or slightly rounded
corners.

FINE (F) An above-average copy that shows less than average wear. Typical
defects could include a small corner crease or some loss of cover gloss.

VERY GOOD-FINE (VGF) A slightly better than average copy with some
imperfections that keep it out of the higher grades. Obviously handled but
fairly well cared for; still basically a decent copy.

VERY GOOD (VG) A copy in average condition. Some wear is obvious but not
damaged or soiled.

GOOD-VERY GOOD (GVG) A well-read copy with some significant defects such
as tears, long creases, or writing, or perhaps several smaller but
noticeable defects.

GOOD (G): A worn copy with an accumulation of defects such as tears,
creases, writing, pieces out of the cover, etc.

FAIR-GOOD (FR-G), FAIR (FR), POOR-FAIR (P-FR), POOR (P):These grades all
indicate a very worn copy with many significant defects, such as tape,
pieces missing, stains, or water damage, increasing in number and/or
severity down the list. However,even comics graded POOR have complete
stories, though parts of the cover or panels might be missing.

sticky this please

Its a good chart, but I don't necessarily agree with everything. I prefer to stick to CGC's grading chart.

please post a copy here to add to the list thanks nano

What do you think of this one Nano?

CGC's grading chart? Is there such a chart? Last time I talked to a CGC rep., they were'nt revealing exactly what their grading standards are.

I like the Official Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guidelines, but the standards CuriousGoods posted are pretty good, as well as the one ComicsCastle had, which I think is the same one Errant just posted.

I consider CGC to be the authority on grading, as I'm sure many do. Here is a list of CGC grades with explainations of each grade. The list was compiled by the people at comicspriceguide.com with CGC's primary grader, Steve Borock, as a consultant.

MINT GRADES
GEM MINT: 10.0
MINT : 9.9
The best possible existing condition of a comic book. A near perfect book. It is very rare especially in older comic books pre-1990 to discover a comic in either Mint or Gem Mint condition. Books in this condition pre-1980 are virtually non-existent.
An extremely exceptional comic with only very minute printing or bindery defects. The books cover is flat and without surface wear. No autographs or writing is allowed on either the cover or interior pages. Cover inks are exceptionally bright with high gloss. The books corners are perfectly square and sharp. Interior pages must me white in color and supple to the touch.
NEAR MINT+/MINT GRADES
NEAR MINT / MINT : 9.8
NEAR MINT+ : 9.6
This is close to mint with some minor defect.
A slight stress line by the staples.
The staples themselves are generally centered clean with no rust.
Maybe some of the color has chipped or flaked off the cover.
And again, the cover is flat with no surface wear; inks are bright with high reflectivity and very little fading. And those tricky corners are cut square and sharp with ever so slight blunting permitted.
You can tell that this comic has been stored properly and looks as new as the day it was printed.
All stress marks should be almost invisible and bindery tears must be less than 1/16 inch.
Only the most subtle binding and/or printing defects allowed.
Cover is fairly well centered and firmly secured to interior pages.
Paper is supple and like new.
Spine is tight and flat.
Unobtrusive date stamps or arrival dates in pencil or ink are acceptable.
Many pedigree collection comics have a notation on the cover or the interior of the comic and are considered a bonus to collectors as they help prove the provenance of the comic.
NEAR MINT/NEAR MINT- GRADES
NEAR MINT : 9.4
NEAR MINT - : 9.2
This book is an excellent copy with great eye appeal.
It is vibrant and clean with supple pages.
The spine may have a couple of very small stress lines at the most 1/4 inch the surface color around the line must not be noticeably broken.
The spine is almost completely flat.
The cover is relatively flat with almost no surface wear and the cover inks are generally bright with medium to high reflectivity.
The staples may show some discoloration, but it's not too noticeable on first glance.
The inside pages and covers usually will be off-white to white, but can be creamy or slightly yellowish.
VERY FINE/NEAR MINT GRADES
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 chips 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.
FINE GRADES
FINE/VERY FINE: 7.0
Slightly better condition than FINE +: 6.5, but in lesser condition than the grade above.
FINE + : 6.5
FINE: 6.0
FINE - : 5.5
This comic is definitely a well-read copy, but can still be a very desirable copy.
This could have one major defect like a larger piece out of the cover (1/4 inch to 1/8 inch) or a one-inch plus tear.
It has stress lines around the staples and creases from the opening and closing of the cover.
The whiteness of the pages has been changed to off-white to yellowish color.
This could have a reading or subscription crease or a rolled spine, but is not damaged enough to reduce eye appeal dramatically.
Some discoloration, fading in colors and even minor soiling is allowed.
The cover and/or inside pages could have minor tears and/or folds
Cover can be loose from one staple, but cover cannot be completely detached from interior.
Pages and inside covers could be brown but not brittle.
Depending on the grade of the copy certain amounts are available in this grade. i.e a book that looks 8.0 with a piece of tape on the interior cover is acceptable in this grade.
VERY GOOD GRADES
VERY GOOD/FINE: 5.0
VERY GOOD+ : 4.5
VERY GOOD : 4.0
VERY GOOD - :3.5
Book is complete, but with major creases and or a spine roll.
There is almost low cover gloss or at most times none at all.
The inside paper quality is not good and yellow and small pieces of them may be missing.
If there is a piece missing from the cover, it should be no larger than a 1/2" to 1/4".
Books in this grade are almost always creased, scuffed, abraded and soiled, but completely readable. Tape on the comic is considered a defect in this grade.
GOOD GRADE
GOOD/VERY GOOD: 3.0
GOOD + : 2.5
GOOD: 2.0
GOOD - : 1.8
Good is really a misnomer, but one that is still readable with numerous defects.
All the defects of a VG comic plus more.
There is almost low cover gloss or most times none at all.
The inside paper quality is not good and yellow and small pieces of them may be missing.
If there is a piece missing from the cover, it should be no larger than a 1/2" to 1/4".
Books in this grade are almost always creased, scuffed, abraded and soiled, but completely readable.
Book is complete, but with no missing pages and is still in a "collectible" grade.
FAIR GRADE
FAIR/GOOD : 1.5
FAIR : 1.0
This book has seen much better days and tends to be heavily worn and tattered.
A copy of a comic in this grade has all pages and most of the covers.
A book in this condition is worn, ragged and unattractive.
Heavy creases and folds are prevalent
paper quality can be very low
The spine and/or cover may be completely split.
Staples may be missing.
Corners are rounded.
Coupons cut from cover and or inside pages. Panels can be clipped out.
Parts of the front cover may be missing.
Soiling, staining, tears, markings or chunks missing will interfere with reading.
Brittleness maybe a factor.
Moderate to extensive amounts of tape is acceptable on the comic in this grade.
POOR GRADE
POOR : .5
It has major defects to the point that there is almost no collector value.
Copies in this grade typically will have pages and/or around 1/3 or more of the front cover missing.
They may have severe strains, mildew or heavy cover abrasion to the point where cover inks are gone.
Heavy defacing with paints, varnishes, glues, oil, indelible markers or dyes, etc.
The inside pages can be extreme brittleness.
NO GRADE (Coverless/Covers/Pages or Single Wrap)
This designation is only used for the purpose of authentication. Numerous collectors and comic fans will purchase coverless comics to either read or to obtain a filler copy of a book for their collection. Coverless books will typically sell for a percentage of the good condition value. Rare and key comic books that are coverless in many cases may sell for a percentage of guide value depending on the specific comic title and issue number. Typically lower then the .5 value, but can fluctuate based on market value.
Book can been coverless or be an incomplete partial comic (i.e. wraps).
Copies in this designation typically will in most cases be beyond collectibility to the majority of the hobby.
Rare key comics and incomplete pages i.e. centerfolds are considered to be valuable for either restoration purposes or for individuals who just wish to own a piece of comic history

...wow. That is impressive!

Here is a link to CGC's grading scale on their website.

awesome now lets sticky this for future refrence

If this is the one comicscastle uses I believe these are just the standards he uses to grade the books he sells. Correct me if I'm wrong Pat.

I guess you could sticky this. I don't guess comicspriceguide will mind. Feel free to play with the format. This is just the way it came out when I copied and paste, minus the bold print. I just did that to make it easier to read.

Thanks, I'm familiar with CGC's 10 point scale, their website and service, just not that they had their grading standards published. Is Steven Borock even still with CGC? I heard he was leaving.

Honestly I don't know. I looked through the their website and didn't see anything about it. Still, having him work on it makes it the best source for comic grading standards, IMO.

Yes, this is my grading guide. It is based on Overstreet, but with changes from my 43 years of grading and selling experience. It also appears to be more strict than the CGC one, especially in the FN grade. A book with pieces out or a subscription crease would never get a FN grade from me. I guess that explains why I've never been happy with CGC's grading. I use my standards at all times, whether I'm selling or buying. I've seen stores that have two different sets of standards, one for buying and one for selling. I don't play those games.

I agree with Bovard on this one. I have never seen CGC actually publish their grading standards. Until they do, it is actually absurd to use them as a "standard". The chart does nothing to help a collector place an individual book into an appropriate grade - it is merely a 'list' of the grades. No indication is given as to the defect(s) or how accumulation of defect(s) are used to assign a book a grade.

I fall in the camp of collectors who try to follow Overstreet's published grading standards. (Note: Overstreet originally published their 100 point grading system in 1992. I believe CGC started operations in 2001.) Overstreet has been in the business and been considered the standard in the industry for as long as I have been collecting...and I am an old fart!

Until actual standards are published by CGC, I do not feel they can be the standard used by all. And consistency from CGC will also be required. In your table offering descriptions of the various grades, the 9.9 Mint description contains the statement, "No autographs or writing is allowed on either the cover or interior pages." Yet a search of eBay will in fact find Signature Series books bearing a 9.9 grade, with autographs on the covers. Until CGC publishes and follow their own standards, then how can they be "followed".

Additionally, for books which I consider more difficult to grade (in the Fine grades) there is a broad range of grades with little to no indication of how a book is placed in them. Again quoted:
"FINE/VERY FINE: 7.0
Slightly better condition than FINE +: 6.5, but in lesser condition than the grade above.
FINE + : 6.5
FINE: 6.0"
This is a full point range. Note: this range is where the better of many older books fall! Yet no distinction here between 'grades'.

Both Curious Goods and ComicsCastle offer published guidelines which they follow. And since grading IS subjective, I think the best we can hope for is that sellers here publish their 'standard' as these two gentlemen have
so that a buyer has an idea of how this particular seller grades books.

Ok, off my soapbox.

I guess it depends on what you're used to. I grew up with Overstreet's Price Guide and Grading Standards and that works for me. It's what I use and rely on.
To each his own.
-g-

I wouldn't go that far.

IMO there is simply too much disdain toward CGC from folks 'round these parts for them to ever rise above Overstreet as a "standard." I wouldn't even make it a sticky, myself.

cgc is all over the place ..a lot depends on ????who the @@@ knows..i just recieved back a comic that had 2 minor flaws one was (if looked at in really good lighting and verry close inspection) a tiny rust spot on one spot on one staple ,rust and the other was the slightest scuff or a indentation.abught 1/4 inch long.(doesnt break color or any thing)also was one of the whitest comics i ever seen..you coul see thru the whites.and this comic recieved a 8.0...yet i have other graded 8.0 that are not nearly as nice.