They charge you on a sliding scale that depends on how much your comic ends up being worth. Grading process certified guaranty company, llc cgc comics. In recent years, grading criteria have become even tighter, especially in silver and bronze age books, due to their higher survival rate. This company was started by steve borock, the former president of cgc so he definitely has some clout in the industry. Your child will learn to create his own family comic book. This is the grade that most inexperienced comic book graders think is mint. The best college degrees for the comic book industry work. As with grading all collectibles, there is a degree of subjectivity as there are many factors to consider and all of them must be weighed to determine an overall grade. The new company is comic book certification service or cbcs and expects to go live in july. Take a close look, ideally with a magnifying glass, and make careful notes of any apparent damage, including. How do you earn the designation of being a professional.
This plastic case forever seals your comic, unless you destroy the case to extract the comic. Paul litch has become the comic book collecting marketplaces most trusted grader. Learning how to properly grade comics and becoming certified. Working with all eras of comic books gave paul wideranging knowledge of. You can visit the cbcs website here, although at the current time it is just a placeholder with a faq. A guide to grading the comic book price guide for great. 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.
This books is an excellent tool and we would definitely suggest it as a very valuable tool to all comic book collectors. This character comic strip worksheet is suitable for 5th grade. Comic book grading and restoration may 19, 2016 scott robertson 25 comments comic book grading is one of the most important parts of speculating. If youre purely interested in protecting your comics, mylar and acid free boards will protect the books just fine, have a. Im wondering how to learn to properly grade comics and to become certified by cgc or something along those lines. Mar 27, 2020 when grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover. Comic books originally were published as a means to redistribute comic strips. 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. Do i need a license or a certification from some comic book authority before my grades will be recognized. The two main methods of describing an overall grade are numerical, and symbol. 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.
As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. I m opening up a popculture store, similar to spencers gifts, but more comic book and fandom themed. Dec 09, 2014 the purchase of the overstreet guide to grading comics 2015 was one of the best purchases we have made. Comic grading is the process of encasing a comic book in a plastic case. For one, if you have a really valuable book, it offers a form of protection. Apr 18, 2018 50 mustread middle grade graphic novels chelsea hensley apr 18, 2018 graphic novels are experiencing a bit of a boom in the middle grade category, creating a bridge for reluctant readers and introducing kids to a different style of storytelling. Its not meant to be an expert guide to grading comic books. Draft grading standards now online for fine and above.
A number of colleges around the country offer courses. Jul 20, 2017 becoming a professional comic book writer is an incredibly challenging goal. 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. The regular collector now has a bargaining chip against weasel comic dealers who try to swindle. Obtain the highest grades possible with cgc and cbcs. Some of the more common questions are answered below. Since i dont do this fulltime, i try to rely on knowledge gained over the years, and resources like the overstreet comic book grading guide or this 10 point grading tutorial on the heritage auction site. The more you grade, the more effective a grader you will become. Comic book certification service cbcs was started by professional comic. Someone most likely in the far east is forging my email address. In this character analysis learning exercise, 5th graders develop a comic strip using characters from a book. Learning how to properly grade comics and becoming. Auctions consignment director and former cgc presidentprimary grader. Is it worth getting comic books graded at cgc or pgx.
Jun 22, 2011 parenting emotional smarts, smart strategies, writing create a comic book create a comic book how you can help at home. The higher the grade of a comic book the higher the value. 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. Overstreet guide to grading comics 2015 overstreet comic. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry. A comic must be relatively complete to be successfully restored. Preventative restoration, widely used and accepted by collectors, consists of nonadditive restoration on a book with one or two major defects. Paul litch cgc primary grader the comic book forum. His handling of hundreds of thousands of high end comics, including the most valuable comics ever sold, plus an intimate knowledge of their history and pedigrees gives matt the skill set required to. The best college degrees for the comic book industry. 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. Types of damage that place a comic in fr range include. Drawing or writing well is usually all a comic book publisher requires of its staff and freelancers, though earning a bachelors degree in a field related to your specialty, such as writing or drawing, can help. Ever wonder what it takes to send your comic books to cgc to be.
Spotting comic restoration comic book boys sell your. Books that have been encapsulated and certified by an objective thirdparty. Theres some new competition in the professional comic book grading services industry brought to us by none other than steve borock. Books are carefully handled and tracked through the grading process, and always fully insured while on our premises.
Comic book grading, certification process cbcs comics. In 2016, matt transitioned from president of ccs to primary grader at cgc. Or can i grade right now and the grade will be accepted by dealers and auctioneers. A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade. Nov 10, 2018 cgc is universal, while pgx isnt quite. The main reason to not get a book graded is that you will never again be able to open it, read it, share it, or enjoy it as it was meant to be enjoyed. Cbcs team members all share in the love of our hobby and the medium. 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. The grader will also do another check for restoration and then choose a page quality and a grade from ranging from 0. Now that cgc is known as a reputable organization and has provided legitimacy to the practice of grading comic books, having your comic book evaluated by a thirdparty professional grader can alleviate worries about misrepresentation and fraud, and provide a consistent, trusted standard with which to measure your comic book value. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. Anything later must be in better shape to be truly valuable. Comic book certification service cbcs was started by professional comic book hobbyists with the intent of protecting our fellow hobbyists when buying and selling comic books. How do you earn the designation of being a professional grader.
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. To grade a comic, you need to take in to consideration a number of factors before being able to assess. Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book grading. The term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in. 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. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. Once theyre graded and cased, you have to get that shit replaced approx. Your precious comic will forever be locked in a plastic casing away from your longing eyes. 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. Comic book grading has evolved over the past several decades from a much looser interpretation of standards in the beginning to the very tight professional scrutiny in use by the market today. The most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading.
Just got a great deal on a comic to find out that when it was sent back from cgc it had that ugly purple label on it. Jun 24, 2019 this 156 page field guide and training manual is a musthave for any comic book collector. It really is a very small portion of the overall comic book supply that is valued at that amount. It is categorized by grade level to help teachers and librarians pick the best comic literature for students. Ive done some searches and i havent been able to come up with anything, so any. New professional comic book grading service cbcs comic. Cgc comics cgc notes with sadness the passing of kevin. Regardless of what tier your comics are being graded in, there are multiple costs. Artists have far more ways of getting recognized and can have very long careers, but writers tend to be phased out after a few years, and generally get paid far less than artists, which contributes to the difficulty of making a career out of their work. Lets explore those reasons and examine some things to be careful about when slabbing comics.
Restored comics could make an old gem of your collection worth just as much as a. Certified guaranty company, also known as cgc, is a sarasota, florida comic book grading. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading. You can think of the grade of a comic book like a grade on a report card. Comic book cpr teaches awareness on proper comic book handling, shipping, selling, and buying tactics. Restored comics could make an old gem of your collection worth just as much as a modern book. Comic book grades are given to a book reflecting the quality of printing, storage, and upkeep of a particular book. As a grader, he specialized in entertaining comics ec comics, a golden age publisher that produced comic books in a wide variety of categories but is probably most famous for launching mad magazine. The purple label from cgc stands for comic restoration and in the comic world it is viewed as a very bad thing. Start a new manga series with death note, naruto or pokemon. Learn the hidden underground secrets of cleaning and pressing comic books. Because of his proficiency, he earned a reputation as the qc doctor, before becoming a grader. His handling of hundreds of thousands of high end comics, including the most valuable comics ever sold, plus an intimate knowledge of their history and pedigrees gives matt the skill set required to accurately assess any comic book he holds.
The market value of comic books is partly determined by a grading process. As comic book collectors, we like to grade our comics to confirm their proper grading and value. If you have found a pile of old flash comics, well help you figure out what they are, and what theyre worth. Since going to work for certified guaranty company. Read the origin stories of your favorite marvel or dc superheroes, including black panther, spiderman, batman, wonder woman and more. Pretty much any flash comic from the 1940s is worth good money, and those early issues are truly rare comic books. Apr 18, 2011 i have a guy who is selling off my comic collection and he is a topnotch grader, but he worked with a comic book publisher, who took him under his wing and taught him what to look for 0 1 0 login to reply the answers post. Everything you need to know about submitting comic books to. However, both make a buyer a bit more secure for a buyer to buy a book or sell a book with a third party, professional grader than an unslabbed comic book. Grading your comic books guide revel in the detail. I am far from a professional grader but am slowing gaining confidence in my grading abilities. How does one become a professional comic book appraiser or.