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. Owl card comics general cgc comic book collectors chat boards. This books is an excellent tool and we would definitely suggest it. When grading gets to fine, you start operating on a point system. The video and resources below will help you find the best way to get current prices and values of your comic books, whether you own only a couple or thousands here we go. Several factors should be considered before a grade is assigned to a comic bookmagazine. There are grades in between these basic grades such as finevery fine, but we want this to be a general easy tofollow comic grading guide for the novice. There are grades in between these basic grades such as finevery fine, but we want this to be a general easy. Below is some grading criteria to help understand the complexities involved. Aug 25, 2015 hey guys, i just thought id share my opinions on the overstreet grading guide. 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. Without this understanding, you may overpay for a book based on its overstreet tenpoint grade. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade.
Top websites about best comic book grading companya0. For much more information on grading and restoration, as well as photographs of many major defects and conditions, consult the official overstreet comic book grading guide. Top websites about how to grade comic books accurately. Armed with this knowledge and a good understanding of the market, you should be able to make an informed decision about restoration. As comic book collectors, we like to grade our comics to confirm their proper grading and value. You can easily identify a slabbed comic because the grades will include the name. 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. Learn the basics of grading comic books so you can price yours accordingly. But not all comic book paper starts out at the same color even in the same era, so theres really no one owl card that will work for all comics anyway.
Cloud 9 grades comics based on the overstreet price guides grading structure in combination with the standards set by cgc. He has even gone to the point of creating a separate book breaking down all the fine details of grading. Comic book grades are given to a book reflecting the quality of printing, storage, and upkeep of a particular book. While the overstreet comic book price guide helps you learn about comic values, this third book in our new how to line teaches you the importance of condition a factor that is often the key to real collectability and how to grade accurately the overstreet guide to grading comics includes. Several factors should be considered before a grade is assigned to a comic book magazine. The overstreet short for overstreet comic book price guide and overstreet comic book grading guide is one of the largest and most trusted names in comic book grading and appraisal.
Once restored, a comic s value depends upon several factors. Grading comics accurately is essential to their figuring out their proper value and price. The ultimate authority delivers the right grade every time grading comic books is the key to successful comic book collecting, and now the leading expert on. Comic book grading the basics of grading comics superworld. Once restored, a comics value depends upon several factors.
A limited accumulation of minor binderyprinting defects is. Pgx utilizes the overstreet comic book grading guide in its definitions of condition. This books is an excellent tool and we would definitely suggest it as a very valuable tool to all comic book collectors. Nearly perfect with a minor additional virtue or virtues that raise it from near mint. Comics price guide was the first online price guide for comic books back in 1995. Avid comics collector brian pants christman and pro retailer chris eberle. The thing that has changed most over time is how refined the grading scale has become. Last week i received my overstreet guide to grading comics 2015 edition from amazon. Overstreet guide to grading comic book sc 20142016 gemstone.
As grading is very much a subjective exercise, it is all too easy for the novice and indeed experienced collector to allow wishful thinking and optimism to influence the appearance of a comic and make it better than it really is. The official overstreet comic book grading guide by robert. Your source for clear and consistent comic book grading standards. Thats been steve borocks biggest complaint about the owl card every time ive seen or heard him mention it.
As condition evaluators and restoration detection experts, the professionals at pgx have spent decades inspecting multiple copies of a wide variety of comics from every era. Due to the nature of paper, discoloration is expected over time. Originally produced in conjunction with the first edition of the overstreet comic book grading guide, the owl or overstreet s whiteness level card is a comic book grading tool used to evaluate paper color. And in some instances even a second flaw can drop a. If you want to know what goes on behind the scenes at those comic grading companies, or why your book got a 9. Anything but the first edition, which was using the old grading scale.
Saw in other posts that one recommended collection tool is the overstreet grading guide. We have values for any marvel, dc, image, idw, darkhorse, or dell comic book that is in your collection. This is intended to be a basic guide so that you have a general idea of the grade of your books for pricing purposes. A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in the same apparent grade. Nearly perfect with only minor imperfections that keep it from the next higher grade. The overstreet guide to grading comics latest edition. The two main methods of describing an overall grade are numerical, and symbol. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value.
Comic book grading and restoration may 19, 2016 scott robertson 25 comments comic book grading is one of the most important parts of speculating. We closely monitor and calibrate our staff to maintain adherence to our established standards. In other words, it takes a dealer time to sort, bag, board and price any comic book. In the case of comics in vg or higher grades, the book is already an attractive. The younger a comic, the less likely the book will increase in value significantly from restoration.
Comic book price guide i love comic book collection. Originally produced in conjunction with the first edition of the overstreet comic book grading guide, the owl or overstreets whiteness level card is a comic book grading tool used to evaluate paper color on the reverse side is the one or overstreets numerical equivalent card, which translates the traditional letter grades into their equivalent values on a 100point numerical. Comic book grading part 1 non professional grading duration. The purchase of the overstreet guide to grading comics 2015 was one of the best purchases we have made. In general, the more restoration has been performed, the less the comic is worth compared to its apparent grade value. The premier online comics price guide free comic book values.
The overstreet guide to grading comics includes the 10point grading system including new grades 0. A comic book is this grade has the appearance of having been carefully handled. First, is the use of a forward slash to denote a book as being between grades. Our grading standards are based on the standards laid out in the overstreet. Cgcs restoration grading scale is a transparent system that is much more descriptive and accurate than before. Grading guide pgx comics pgx comic grading services. The worlds largest collectibles auctioneer comic books, vintage comics, original. Comic book price guides, like overstreet, have a minimum price for comic books. Since 1970, the name overstreet has symbolized a vast knowledge of american comic books. The evolution of grading gives the novice an overview about how the comic book hobby got to where we are now in grading. Draft grading standards now online for fine and above. The evolution of grading, using the 10 point scale, diagram of a comic book and definitions.
Overstreet, author of the officialr overstreet comic book price guide the book that set the standard for pricing comic books has now written the first and only book that sets the standard for grading the condition of comic books, which is the most important factor in determining its value. A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade. If you were to receive a grade on a book you purchased from us, after january 1, 2003, that was graded as nm that came in below 8. Overstreet guide to grading comic book sc 20142016. Review of the overstreet guide to grading comics youtube. 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. The book pretty much summarizes all the checking points in determining the value of a comic book, and provides extensive comic book grading scale and descriptions for each grading level. This is an extreme example, but the percentages are very similar across the board. Copies are available through all normal distribution channels or can be ordered direct from gemstone by. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry.
A guide to grading the comic book price guide for great. Grading is an inherently subjective process and there will always be small differences in opinion. Minor feathering that does not detract from the overall beauty of an otherwise higher grade copy is acceptable for this grade. Learn how to grade comic books and spot a restoration. Every type of restoration found on each book will be individually graded for quantity and quality, with a cumulative score determining the final restoration grade assigned.
The official overstreet comic book grading guide robert m. Overstreet guide to grading comics 2015 overstreet comic. Overstreet comic book price guide the overstreet guide is a must have if you have a lot of comics, are already a collector or plan on having a lot of comics. A lightly restored book will be valued higher than a book with heavy restoration in. Our slab may appear to be thicker than the others it is 78 high, but it is made to be stackable. The official overstreet comic book grading guide will answer just about any question you will ever have on the grading system as it stands today. Comic book grading company the affordable and reliable.
To learn more about this variance, see eds grading methodology see example below. Newly updated, the overstreet guide to grading comics includes the 10point grading system, as well as exhaustive descriptions of primary and split grades, examples of each grade with more than 200 fullcolor images in all, articles on storage, preservation, and restoration, a look at the independent, thirdparty grading companies, and much more since 1970, the name overstreet has symbolized. Owl card comics general cgc comic book collectors chat. A low grade copy of a very sought after book might benefit from professional. Someone most likely in the far east is forging my email address. Overstreet has defined a 10 point system that can classify most any comic book condition. Dec 09, 2014 the purchase of the overstreet guide to grading comics 2015 was one of the best purchases we have made. 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. Overstreet guide to grading comics 2015 book depository. This 10point comic book grading scale is widely used now and you will often see people grade by simply putting the number value on the book with the classic descriptive grade. Some of the older collectors may recall this when i was a kid, as far as some oldschool dealers were concerned a book was either good, fine, or mint. Only subtle bindery or printing defects are allowed.
We need to emphasize, however, that not more than two of the above mentioned flaws can appear in the same comic. In the officialrm overstreet comic book grading guide, overstreet explains the new 10. Although the actual process of grading a comic isnt really that difficult, it can be a bit intimidating for beginners. It is always worth reevaluating your own grading criteria from time to time in order to become the more expert. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading. In all cases, except for some simple cleaning procedures, a restored book can.
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. Easy to read, lots of actual examples, and plenty of comic book history. A couple of minor flaws might be allowable, but no more. 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. Chuck rozanskis grading standards mile high comics. For instance, take a look at a recently featured comic book, action comics 1. Blumberg, has set the standard for grading the condition of comic books. We recommend that you get a copy of the overstreet price guide the pricing bible. Get all good price and hot deals of best comic book grading companya0 here. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. Our grading standards are based on the standards laid out in the overstreet grading guide.
The overstreet guide to grading comics 2016 edition. As the name of the implies, this is a perfect or near perfect book. This applies mainly to silver age comics, as noted earlier. It would be very easy to undergrade or overgrade using this book alone. No bindery tears are allowed, although on golden age books bindery tears of 18 have been noted.
In 3 days of using this book to grade comics, i feel finally like a legitimate grader. Collectors will be typically less inclined to part with a rare book easily. You have to know the basics of grading comics to determine whether sellers are under. The easiest way to spot a trimmed book is by examining the actual sides of the book. The term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in. Today i talk about the basics of grading comic books using the overstreet grading comic book grading tutorial learn to grade comics the comic geek speak way. It is not the practice, however, to use numbers other than those in this scale so you wouldnt see a book graded 6. The minimum price is not a real reflection of market value. Overstreet grading numeric system grading factors page quality overstreet grading the overstreet comic price guide was first published in 1970, and has been. Thus, a quick and easy conversion between various numerical grading scales can. The ultimate authority delivers the right grade every time grading comic books is the key to successful comic book collecting, and now the leading expert on comic books, robert m. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet. Buying the overstreet guide which is the bible of grading standards helped me immensely since i am now purchasing comics both at comic book stores and through the internet.
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