The term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet guide. A small variance in perception of what a restored copy is worth can mean a. Official overstreet comic book price guide companion sc 1988 2nd edition. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry. The two main methods of describing an overall grade are numerical, and symbol. But the book with the lowest value had white pages. Smr online is the only official price guide for psacertified collectibles and it is the most comprehensive price guide in the hobby. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. Comic book collectors are picky, and since there is so much money at stake at the higher grades, even the almost imperceptible flaw takes away from the condition. The spotlight also is turned on 50th anniversary of marvels fateful 1968 expansion and the 50th anniversary of planet of the apes and the comics that.
Official overstreet comic book price guide companion sc 2008 38th edition. In these rare cases, a check mark will be placed on the label by the numerical grade. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. We actually believe that all our books in our nm category are at least 9. Rejointed means the book has been repaired preserving the original covers, including the spine.
The best way to understand why a specific comic book received a check mark designation is to refer to the graders notes. To grade a comic, you need to take in to consideration a number of factors before being able to assess the correct grade. As you can see, comic books have gone through a clear evolutionary path to get us to where we are today. The minimum price is not a real reflection of market value. For collector and dealer alike, it is essential to grade the condition of a comic fairly and accurately in order to determine its true value and worth.
As the hobby grew and comics became more expensive, the need to define and describe various. Grading your comic books guide revel in the detail comics. We follow a strict set of guidelines in order to deliver the best possible comic book values. If for a specific comic there are no recent transactions of slabbed copies, its value is unknown. From our humble beginnings, we have grown to the largest, most complete comic book price guide with well over 1,000,000 comics in our database. The premier online comics price guide free comic book values. For collectors seeking very nice comics, without the extreme cost of near mint or very fine, fine is an.
You can easily identify a slabbed comic because the grades will include the name of the grading service, such as cgc 9. A guide to grading the comic book price guide for great. Comic book grades are given to a book reflecting the quality of printing, storage, and upkeep of a particular book. Once restored, a comics value depends upon several factors. Two marquis issues not just in the history of the fantastic four, but in marvel are both currently tied as 65k at their highest value. Shelf wearthe wear that occurs as a book is placed onto and removed from a shelf. The cover may have some missing pieces and the book is generally scuffed, abraded, and faded. Each company does different tiers and levels so its difficult to. Mar 05, 2012 a book with cream to offwhite sold for the third lowest value, with an offwhite and offwhite to white selling at the two lowest values. A comic book in fr condition may have nonstory elements such as coupons, ad pages, or marvel value stamps cut or torn out of the book. Other superman rare comic books are listed lower down this page. By requesting prescreen and specifying a minimum grade on your invoice, you will be charged grading fees only for comic books that meet or exceed your specified minimum grade. Welcome to the comic book price guide that has been 25 years in the making. Many people want their comic book to be better than it is, but few attain this high of a mark.
Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and written narrative, usually, dialog contained in word balloons emblematic of the comics art form. Comic book grading screenshots, images and pictures comic vine. A book with cream to offwhite sold for the third lowest value, with an offwhite and offwhite to white selling at the two lowest values. It may be to the tail bottom edge of the covers as they rub. Each page includes current market values in ten different grades, as well as a section for real market data, actual prices fetched at auction. Like most things i do here at the certified comic shop, im always happy to talk about the finances of operating a comic shop. How to accurately describe a comic book grade including some example flaws. You can start at our comic book values free course, or pick up an overstreet comic book price guide. Aaron albert, a collector of and an expert on comic books, has studied, taught, and written about the comic book genre for more than 20 years. Chuck rozanskis grading standards mile high comics. Apr 01, 2008 how to accurately describe a comic book grade including some example flaws.
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. Reporting on thousands of certified comic book sales daily, gpa is the only service that offers the level of depth and analysis required in todays fastmoving comic book market. Shaken an adjective describing a book whose pages are beginning to come loose from the binding. Sparkle city comics is most interested in purchasing comic books pre1985, so if youre interested in selling your golden age, silver age or bronze age comics, give us a call at 8007439205. Official overstreet comic book price guide companion sc 1989 3rd edition. At mycomicshop, we use the basic grading scale for most of our comics priced up. The iguide comic book price guide is maintained by warren and his board of advisors.
When more than one comic is offered in a particular listing, the entire sale is disregarded. A lot of 80s comics are usually found in the 25 cent bins, but depending on the issues and titles, some are worth a decent amount of money. 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. When the good price is quite near the near mint price on a given comic xmen, for example, that means that many collectors just want these comics for reading purposes or perhaps to hold on to until they can find a higher grade at a later date. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. It includes over 400,000 prices for a host of different collectibles including, but not limited to. Because mint is a standard that is too difficult to define. We make every possible effort to only report on the price paid for individual comics. Ive been using comicbase as a means to catalog and valuate my collection. In the example above carnage part one is not part of the title.
Most novice near mints end up being very fine at best. Once restored, a comic s value depends upon several factors. If you are unsure what the title is, look at the indicia small block of text inside front or rear cover. This will only happen if there is a market for your comic though. These grades describe comics that are in somewhat worse condition than the very good grades. The above is an excellent way to determine reliable and uptodate values, but it also means that they cannot provide values for each and every comic that exists. Aug 12, 2018 two marquis issues not just in the history of the fantastic four, but in marvel are both currently tied as 65k at their highest value. The searchable database consists of more than 100,000 pages, each devoted to a specific comic book. The worlds largest collectibles auctioneer comic books, vintage comics, original.
Curt connors as a villain seldom gets the respect hes deserved. Comic book price guides, like overstreet, have a minimum price for comic books. By requesting prescreen and specifying a minimum grade on your invoice, you will be charged grading fees only for comic books that. We have values for any marvel, dc, image, idw, darkhorse, or dell comic book that is in your collection. Locate the book in the list of books you might need to change the drop list to go to another page. Our staff of friendly and dedicated employees offer over 250 years of experience in the comic book market place, and look forward to assisting you. Follow the link for more information about each grading term to see what each means. In other words, it takes a dealer time to sort, bag, board and price any comic book. A spine split of up to 23 the length of the book, a missing back cover provided the front cover is still attached, severe water damage or residue damage. A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in. Book with offwhite and offwhiteto white sold for above the median.
A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade. In rare cases, a comic book will look much better than the given grade. Those comics that do, especially cgc graded books, can attain the highest possible market value that is out there. They equate a percentage value to each grade within the 10pt scale. Also, values are based on sales of of cgccbcs graded comics only. Either one of these is worth your time and effort to find if youre hunting down issues to invest in. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. You can think of the grade of a comic book like a grade on a report card. If you are serious about learning how to grade comics, i have to recommend the overstreet comic book grading guide. But as a rule of thumb, as im deciding which comics to submit for grading i always estimate the true cost of. This grade is the most misused of all the comic book grades. Unfollow comic book price guide to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Hello, all id love to hear peoples perspective on how they relate the 10pt grading scale and overstreet value.
The best possible existing condition of that comic book. Comics price guide was the first online price guide for comic books back in 1995. In general, the more restoration has been performed, the less the comic is worth compared to its apparent grade value. Types of damage that place a comic in fr range include. A comic book or comicbook, also called comic magazine or simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Whether you are an avid comic collector, a repeat offender one who once collected but fell by the wayside, are new to the industry, or someone who came across some old comics, welcome to the world of comics. Comics for grades begins the moment kids started getting. Grading your comic books guide revel in the detail.
Updated and added to every day, it will eventually list all significant british comics published and all marvel and dc comics that were either officially distributed or non distributed in the uk. Nostomanias grading guide for comic books coin and comic. Gpa for cgc comics is the worlds first analysis and reporting service for online auction and dealer comic book sales. Mar 17, 2017 this grade is the most misused of all the comic book grades. The term grading refers to finding the condition that a comic book is. To grade a comic, you need to take in to consideration a number of factors before being able to. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading. A comic that has not been slabbed is sometimes referred to as a raw comic, which means a regular comic not encased in a plastic slab. Ten point grading system in overstreet price guide. The books with the two highest values had white pages. Official overstreet comic book price guide companion sc 1990 4th edition.