But as a rule of thumb, as im deciding which comics to submit for grading i always estimate the true cost of. How to submit for cgc grading, submission center uk professional. As longtime users of nostomania know, the value of a comic depends strongly on grade. Ngc uk and cgc do not buy or sell comic books and do not have a financial interest in the comic books that they certify. Guarantee in the event of you not being satisfied with the grade of a comic purchased, we offer a full moneyback refund, providing the comic is returned to us within 7 days in the same condition in which it was despatched. Comic book grades are given to a book reflecting the quality of printing, storage, and upkeep of a particular book. Welcome to your friendly neighbourhood online comic book shop. Grading comicbooks by joe rodgers back in 1933 the first comic was published when harry wildenberg and m. 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. 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. Take a close look, ideally with a magnifying glass, and make careful notes of any apparent damage, including. Furthermore, what a comic book is stored in does not have any bearing on the grade of that comic book.
Another way is on a tenpoint grading scale from 10. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the most experienced and. British comics come in a bewildering array of shapes and sizes with consequent storing difficulties. The two basic systems consist of a number scale from one to ten such as the cgc uses and. Even though them comic will look better, its page quality will still rate a lower grade.
You can easily identify a slabbed comic because the grades will include the name of the grading service, such as cgc 9. The comic book price guide for great britain a guide to grading. Grading your comic books guide revel in the detail comics. Only the most expensive books should ever be considered for page treatment. I just want to get the most out of what is probably my best comic. January 9, 2017 by ian gaudreau in comicology comic books tags.
How to submit for cgc grading, submission center uk. Comic book grading company the affordable and reliable. It is very rare, especially in older vintage comic books, to discover a comic in these grades as they are virtually nonexistent. Specialising in back issues and finding that sought after comic, we have a large world wide base of customers and contacts through being in the comic. Once certified by cgc, a comic book is encapsulated in a stateofthe art, tamperevident holder, providing superior protection and. This was done in the same print runs, and stamped or uk priced copies are first.
Due to the fragile nature of comic books, cgc does not offer a grading guarantee. Youre here to decide if having your comics graded by cgc or another grading. Comic grading company has a simple and affordable pricing structure without any clubs to join. 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. Nov 22, 2010 this is an attempt to show the inexperienced collector a rough idea of what constitutes good, fine, near mint etc using 90s amazing spiderman comics as a reference. Heres a list of 3rd party grading services for comic books. Ngc international uk limited ngc uk is the uk affiliate of certified guaranty company cgc, a leading thirdparty grading service for comic books. Its only been within the last 15 years or so that the problem of bias in comic grading was amended, and it took the form of commercial grading.
Bindery tears must be less than 116 on silver age and later books, although on golden age books bindery tears of up to 14 have been noted. Advice for those who dont know how to grade comics. Comicare silver age size 7 comic backer boards pack of 100. Aug 30, 2017 comic book grades are given out through a company called the certified guaranty company also known as the cgc. The two main methods of describing an overall grade are numerical, and symbol. Cgc grading from the uk my experience with wolf comics youtube.
Cbcs comic book certification service the newest and second most popular comic book grading company. Who is the most reputable to help get the most value. 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. Inks are bright with high reflectivity and a minimum of fading. These grading services assign grades on the same tenpoint grading scale used by mycomicshop. The term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in. Only very minute printing and bindery defects or the most barely noticeable handling defects present. A guide to grading the comic book price guide for great.
This is an attempt to show the inexperienced collector a rough idea of what constitutes good, fine, near mint etc using 90s amazing spiderman comics as a reference. Every comic on this site is graded by our two grading experts who have over 40 years experience between them. This collectibles shop page has the standard 10 point grading scale and definitions, as used in the overstreet guide. Please check out the website for new arrivals since i no longer have any barriers to grading and pricing books. Mar 27, 2020 the market value of comic books is partly determined by a grading process. Except where noted, we cannot guarantee that comics we sell will. 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. Since then, theres been a renewed interest in comic books and the resale market in particular by people who had avoided participating due to the lack of a professional presence and authority. In this installment we will take a look at comic book certification services cbcs. Older uk comics tend not to use stainless steel staples so rust is more prevalent.
Your comics are pregraded and checked in uk then they are sent to usa for. Apr 12, 2014 this feature is not available right now. Overstreet grading definitions comic books superhero. Furthermore, every cgccertified comic book undergoes a thorough restoration check by leading professionals during the certification process. Comic books in pr condition may be missing up to 4 pages two spreads of story pages or display severe damage that affects the readability of the book. Books with brown or brittle pages are usually not good candidates either. Professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality. The latter is common to the point of having little or no value. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the hobbys most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards.
It is very rare especially in older comic books pre1990 to discover a comic in either mint or gem mint condition. We are proud to provide certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry. Im in the uk, so will be going via the london holborn. Publishers may choose to include digital content codes in their comics. We are cgcs largest european customer, having submitted over 8,000 books in 2019. We are a comic seller, comic buyer, grader and advisor and locator of rare comics. Therefore being able to correctly determine the grade of a comic is an important skill for buyers and sellers alike. Ngc uk grading tiers are primarily organized based on the books value and, in some cases, the books type. 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. A european agent for cgc comics with full advice on submitting your comics and handling the complete service. Additionally, some comics are slabbed by cgc, cbcs, or pgx.
An extremely exceptional comic with only very minute printing or bindery defects. The same factors that determine car value likewise govern the value of comic books. Mega city comics comic book store best selling comics. Once certified by cgc, a comic book is encapsulated in a stateofthe art, tamperevident holder, providing superior protection and stability for longterm preservation. For collector and dealer alike, it is essential to grade the condition of a comic. One way comic books are graded is on the basic grading scale, which runs from mint the highest, through near mint, very fine, fine, very good, good, fair, and poor the lowest. There are different systems used by different price guides and grading companies. Grading comics in this way is perhaps more applicable to american comics as they have the distinct advantage of all being more or less the same size. Once your books are back with us in the uk they will be posted back to.
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. These books will be certified and encapsulated according to tier, and those grading below your specified grade are returned uncertified. How to grade your comics comic book grading labels. Cgc comics guaranty company is a business that will grade your comic book for you, for a price. In fact, ngc uk and cgc employees are prohibited from buying and selling comic books commercially. Numerous collectors and comic fans will purchase coverless comics to either read or to obtain a filler copy of a book for their collection. Cgc comics guarantee company llc the biggest and most popular third party grading company.
The best possible existing condition of a comic book. A 30 or 40yearold showroom fresh car with virtually no mileage has many times the value of that same car with 100,000 miles showing on it. Professional grading experts, and cbcs comic book certification service. The company was founded by alec born and steve borock, the latter earning a reputation in the community while working many years at cgc, and was recently purchased by beckett media. The most difficult, contentious and eternally frustrating aspect of comic collecting is grading. Comic grading professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality. Some have complained about the inconsistency in cgc comics grading. Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book grading. Comic book grades are given out through a company called the certified guaranty company also known as the cgc. You can think of the grade of a comic book like a grade on a report card.
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. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the most experienced and trusted. The grade of a comic book is based on its physical condition. When grading a comic book, the first thing youll see is the cover. Please note that this does not apply to 3rd party graded comics cgc, pgx. Cgc grading from the uk my experience with wolf comics. Available for largenumber, single submissions for the modern, economy and value tiers.
In recent years, grading criteria have become even tighter, especially in silver and bronze age books, due to their higher survival rate. Every comic book certified by cgc is graded by the most experienced and trusted team, according to wellestablished grading standards. Since that time the comicbook industry as a whole has grown and changed from books people pickup to read and throw away to books that millions of serious collectors all over the world preserve and grade carefully to establish. These comic grading services will grade a comic and then seal the comic in a hard plastic case that displays the assigned grade. A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade. Bleaching and other treatments can be used, but are expensive, frowned upon and not very effective. Comic books and comicrelated magazines can only be submitted to cgc for grading and encapsulation through an authorised dealer like ourselves.
Comic books and comic related magazines can only be submitted to cgc for grading and encapsulation through an authorised dealer like ourselves. Ill be updating this list as new companies are formed. Upon receipt, the comics are inspected by five experts in a temperature and humiditycontrolled environment. Grading your comic books guide revel in the detail. We accept payment made by credit card, personal check, money order or we can send you an invoice via paypal using your paypal email address. We actually believe that all our books in our nm category are at least 9. Books that are coverless, but are otherwise complete, will receive a grade of 0. 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. Wolfcomics the one stop shop for high grade back issues and cgc graded comic books. The best possible existing condition of that comic book.
Books in this condition pre1980 are virtually nonexistent. Grading cost in uk comic book grading and restoration issues. We closely monitor and calibrate our staff to maintain adherence to our established standards. Then, they will put in a protective sleeve and seal it.