Even professional grading services like cgc, cbcs, and pgx acknowledge that the same book may not always receive the same grade if it is submitted for grading more than once. Cgc will have representatives there so you can have your signed comics witnessed and given to them for slabbing. A comic must be relatively complete to be successfully restored. This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a general idea of the grade of your books for pricing purposes.
Like the sheldon scale, the cgc grading scale also skips exact grades where it makes sense to do so. Before any grading is performed, each magazine is examined by a cgc restoration detection professional. Cgc is a leading thirdparty comic book, magazine and concert poster authentication, grading and encapsulation service, with more than 5 million collectibles certified. Located in florida, cgc, which claims to grade over 100,000 comic books. The worlds largest collectibles auctioneer comic books, vintage comics, original and. Then, they will put in a protective sleeve and seal it. Special thanks to our comic grading advisor steve borock, president of cbsc comic book. I am new to many of these kinds of aspects of collecting comic books.
Using the average of their opinions as a guide, our team established a consistent, trusted market standard for comic book grading. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. In these rare cases, a check mark will be placed on the label by the numerical grade.
I would be interested in scans of any cgced books that have page colorgrade combinations not found on the chart for future inclusion. I was wondering why the comic books on ebay with a cgc grading and case were worth more than the ones that only came in a plastic sleeve. After your comics arrive at cgc, up to three graders will inspect your comic before a final grade is given. Many customers choose to ship their comic books to cgc for grading and evaluation. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. If you want to learn how to do basic grading on vintage comic books then here is a simple tutorial for you. This grading process details the exact condition and completeness of a comic, allowing the seller to get an idea of how much it is worth.
Some collectors consider this the lowest collectible grade because comic books in lesser condition are. Description universal blue a standard comic book universal blue no grade ng a comic book that is in such poor condition that cgc will not give it a grade, but merely verify that it is an actual original comic book. The price guide, currently in its 37th release, features information on the ten point comic book grading scale, as well as approximate values of thousands of american comic books with different. A few weeks ago, i attended a local comic convention here in vancouver and i heard about the new company comic book certification service. The grade of a comic book is based on its physical condition. I had heard stories about cgc playing favors by giving harder. Cbcs comic book certification service the newest and second most popular comic book grading company. Its a complicated process, and if you want to know more about it you can read how it works for yourself here.
In rare cases, a comic book will look much better than the given grade. Our grading increases the value of your collectibles, protects the condition, and improves their display quality. Special thanks to our comic grading advisor steve borock, president of cbsc comic book certification service, former heritage auctions consignment director and former cgc presidentprimary grader. Everything you need to know about submitting comic books to cgc. Comic book grades are given out through a company called the certified guaranty company also known as the cgc. Its recommended to avoid restoring silver age comics, apart from key issues, due to their relative availability. The cgc the cgc is a group of grading specialists that validate comic books. Mail submissions to cgc headquarters paid collectors society members and authorized dealers can complete submission forms online and send collectibles directly to the cgc headquarters. This is most visible on the lower end of the grading scale.
Grading process certified guaranty company, llc cgc comics. Today, cgc is the worlds largest and most trusted thirdparty grading service for comics, magazines, concert posters and related collectibles with more than 6 million collectibles certified since 2000. The learn to grade comic books course is the most comprehensive course of its kind. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry. Comic book certification service cbcs was started by professional comic book hobbyists and provides certification and grading services for collectors and. I am still amazed that a company that is so vocal about being the biggest comic grading service can be so bad at what they do and not care. Cgc was the first and has been the standard for comic book grading since 2000. Professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality.
Cgc is headquarted in parsippany, nj and is headed by president steve eichenbaum. Iconic comics grading is based on the overstreet grading guide. You can ship it to them or take it to a convention where they will be at and they will tell you what grade it is considered to be. The real freakin comic book men greg eide has been selling comic books as his livelihood for over 42 years. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet guide. There are different systems used by different price guides and grading companies. From the moment your books enter into our facility they are handled with the upmost care by our highly trained professional staff. Theres a widespread belief that cbcs consistently grades higher than cgc. If any form of restoration work is detected, this information is also logged and made available to the grading team. Each comic graded adheres to cgc standards, preserving the integrity. Below are cgcs grading standards for each numeric grade as well as the restoration grading scale. The primary reason to grade a comic is that there is a direct correlation between the condition of the comic and the value of the book. Though comic book grading has been around for decades, it wasnt until 2000 that a new thirdparty grading service, cgc, burst onto the scene and revolutionized the comic book collecting industry. Comic book grading part 1 certified guaranty company.
If youre purely interested in protecting your comics, mylar and acid free boards will protect the books just fine, have a. Cbcs offers impartial grading and certification for comic books. The 2 reputable thirdparty professional grading services both begin with c use the same scale, but not exactly the same criteria, but overstreet has collaborated with them for their newest grading guide. Comic verification authority cva visited worldwide comics in may 20 and assessed over 4,000 of the 15,000 cgc graded comics in our inventory for the potential of finding those issues that would rate exceptional for that grade assigned by cgc. Gpanalysis gpa for cgc comics daily cgc comic book prices. I live in the vegas area and our local comic book store torpedo comics is hosting a yearlong signing event to rival most comic cons. To qualify, the book must still be encapsulated in its original cgc holder. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards.
Apr 04, 2016 welcome to the world of 3rd party grading. Is cgc really that bad at grading comics comic vine. Dc and marvel comic book writer tom king has agreed to do an cgc inhouse private signing in june. In it, i walk you step by step through 27 comics at every grade level from 0. Last time the numeric grading system was introduced as a way to assess the condition of a comic. Cgc inhouse private signing with dc and marvel writer tom king.
Comic book supplies auctionstore venues third party grading. I also have a small amount of sa thru copper asm books on ebay and. The best way to understand why a specific comic book received a check mark designation is to refer to the graders notes. Grading is an inherently subjective process and there will always be small differences in opinion. Restored silver age comics also do not rise in value as much as a restored golden age comic. These records are from an impartial 3rd party source gp analysis. Additionally, some comics in our store are slabbed by cgc, cbcs, or pgx. Our company has sat well over 600 world record prices selling vintage comic books at auction. Next, the magazines pages are counted and the presence of inserts and other enclosures is recorded. Cgc comics guaranty company is a business that will grade your comic book for you, for a price.
Grading standards are based on the standards laid out in the overstreet grading guide with additional experience gained from our years in the comic industry. However, i have submitted literally thousands upon thousands of books to be graded since the introduction of cgc into the market, and i have become very. Cgc uses a 10point grading scale to evaluate comics. But theres also this social contract that exists which allows buyers to put more faith in a book graded by cgc because of the confidence their reputation brings to the table. Certified guaranty company cgc revolutionized the comic book marketplace when it was founded in 2000 by providing clear, objective and impartial assessments of authenticity and grade. Cgc grading scale cgc uses a 10point grading scale to evaluate comics. Cgc s top grader and king of this field, steve borock, left cgc and started cbcs. Cgc s top graders traveled the country to survey leading comic book collectors, retailers and dealers for their opinions of a grading set of comic books. Preventative restoration, widely used and accepted by collectors, consists of nonadditive restoration on a book with one or two major defects. If all grades are in agreement or are very close, the book will be assigned a final grade. Learn how cgc comics have helped the industry, how cgc grading works, and how it. Lets explore those reasons and examine some things to be careful about when slabbing comics. While a casual collector might not need to bother, its vitally important to have your comics graded if you ever plan to sell them, because the value of a comic varies widely depending on the grade it receives. Submit comics to cgc for grading there are four ways for collectors to submit their comics for grading.
To my mind, the gap between your grading and cgc s grading is the biggest obstacle to the growth of your company. Jan 09, 2017 i have used both cgc and cbcs with good results on both. A proven and respected commitment to integrity, accuracy, consistency and impartiality has made cgc the leader in its field. The grade assigned to the book should not change, unless any damage occurred postencapsulation, in which case the grade will be adjusted accordingly. We closely monitor and calibrate our staff to maintain adherence to our established standards. After the fiasco that is known as pgx grading, i think collectors are very cautious about accepting a new grading authorities claim to rigor, transparency and honesty with the marketplace. May 14, 2016 fixing a forklift that sat in a field for 17 years brake job and rear wheel bearings part 1 duration. Introduction to cgc grading for new comic book collectors. Even professional grading services like cgc, cbcs, and pgx acknowledge that the same book may not always receive the same grade if it is. There are great reasons to slab a comic slabbing is slang for getting a comic professionally graded and encased in an unopenable hard plastic shell from cgc, pgx, or cbcs.
Additionally, some comics are slabbed by cgc, cbcs, or pgx. Today, cgc is the worlds largest and most trusted thirdparty grading service for comics, magazines, concert posters and related collectibles. Jul 16, 2014 a few weeks ago, i attended a local comic convention here in vancouver and i heard about the new company comic book certification service. Ng no grade reserved for art or single comic book pages 0. Comic book grading, certification process cbcs comics. In fact, in 2007, cgc crossed the million book mark and has now graded over 2 million comic books. Cbcss services are more reasonable and a little easier to use right now. A comic book in a cgc holder is encapsulated in a new cgc holder. Cgc grading a bit about cgc cgc old style red label now discontinued.
Ever wonder what those little tags are on some comic books. These grading services assign grades on the same tenpoint grading scale used by mycomicshop. Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book grading. Comics that are submitted to cgc are graded by professional graders on a 10 point scale and then sealed inside a hard plastic cotainer to prevent tampering. King is best known for writing the sheriff of babylon, mister miracle and the rebirthera batman for dc comics and the vison for marvel comics. Comics listed for sale on johns comics and stuff are listed with the basic grading scale. Well do a subsequent blog talking about the merits of the various companies that offer grading slabbing services, but for right now, lets concentrate on the. Books that have been encapsulated and certified by an objective thirdparty grading service take the guesswork out of the grading process for both collectors and dealers. How does the comic book marketplace view cbcsgraded books vs. If there is disagreement among the graders, there will be a discussion with.
Well if you ever wanted to get more information on comic book grading or how to get your comic graded by the cgc, youre at the right place now. Gp analysis lists us as a cgc the comic book grading authority online auction firm. Comics guaranty llc, also known as cgc, is the first independent and impartial third party grading service for comic books and has become the industry standard in north america at least since opening it doors in early 2000. Collectors and dealers trust the accuracy and integrity of cgc, which results in higher prices realized for cgccertified collectibles. Please note that grading will always be an extremely subjective process and there will always be small differences in opinion. Grading certified guaranty company, llc cgc comics. Part of the reason is because its understood that at minimum the cost of grading the comic is added to the raw value of the book. Bindery chips, a common defect in golden age comics, are considered printing defects, and are relatively acceptable in the market. Hectorsquall, i definitely will not be ever using cgc again. Heritage auctions consignment director and former cgc presidentprimary grader. Certified guaranty company, also known as cgc, is a sarasota, florida comic book grading. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it.
Cgc comics, a guide to grading comics and the differences. Founded in 2000, cgc backs each collectible with the comprehensive cgc guarantee, which provides greater protection for both buyers and sellers. Ever try to sell a comic and get into a debate with the buyer if the book was. Founded in 2000, cgc is the first independent, impartial, thirdparty comic book grading service. Comic verification authority cva visits worldwide comics. Typically the owner of a freshlygraded, purplelabeled comic opens. Cgc comics guarantee company llc the biggest and most popular third party grading company. Comic grading company has a simple and affordable pricing structure without any clubs to join. The grading scale used by the experts at cgc has a maximum of 10. Is getting the comic professionally graded up its price, or is it just nice to have it in a fancy case with a grade number.