To begin, you need to understand the grading scale and grading vernacular. Common terms you will hear in regards to comic book conditions are poor, fair, good, very good, fine, very fine, near mint and mint. As you could probably guess, poor is the lowest condition and mint is the best and very rare. It is a 10.0 scale. Please look over the illustration to the right (source) to see how the scale is broken down. The higher the grade of the book the more valuable it will be. 10.0s and 9.9s are extremely rare but you can usually find 9.8s, at least with more modern books. For older books, you may be looking at 7.0s as the highest grades you can find, it just depends on the book. Generally speaking though, the older the book the fewer high quality copies remain. To illustrate what I’ve been talking about take Action Comics 1 (first Superman) into consideration, it’s estimated that less than 100 of these are still in existence and CGC (premier comic grading authority) has only graded 7 unrestored copies over a 6.0. A 9.0 copy of Adventure comics sold for 3.2 million dollars!
Now that you have an idea of how the scale works, let’s look at the characteristics of each grade.
Poor Condition (P)
Have little to no collectible value. Probably incomplete, could be missing pages, torn pages, detached cover etc. May have writing or scribbling on cover and pages. Corners may be completely rounded or non-existent. Books will feel brittle, almost as if they are crumbling in your hand. Poor copies are not aesthetically pleasing; you should be able to judge poor condition pretty quickly.
Fair Condition (F)
These books will show heavy wear but should be at least readable. They may be missing chunks from front or back cover. May have spine splits or even missing staples. There may be creases or tears but books should be mostly complete. Could have stains. Pages are discolored, look brown, and feel brittle. Will probably have acidic odor. Covers have no reflectivity.
Good Condition (G)
Often referred to as readers. These are worn but readable. May have small chunks missing from front or back cover, less than a fair condition is allowed. Covers have some reflectivity left. Covers can be detached. Could have rounded corners. May be missing staples or have tape. Spine could be rolled. Pages will be brown but not brittle.
Very Good Condition (VG)
Above average copy but still looks a little worn. Minor creases are allowed. May have up to a ½” spine split. Cover should still have some reflectivity – may have small stampings on cover. Cover may be loose but not detached. Corners may be blunted. Minor staining allowed. Pages should be tannish – maybe brown. They should not feel brittle.
Fine Condition (FN)
These books are above average and should retain eye appeal. They should be mostly flat, only allowed very minor spine roll. May have date stamped on cover. The inks should still be somewhat bright. Corners may be blunt and may have small creases. Centerfold should feel secure. Pages will be cream to tan.
Very Fine Condition (VF)
Very nice copies with a lot of eye appeal. Covers should be bright and only 1/4” creases are allowed. May only have very few stress lines. Centerfold should be secure. Pages should be cream to tan and supple.
Near Mint Condition (NM)
These books should be nearly perfect. Only the most minor of defects are allowed. Should be completely flat with a tight spine. No surface wear. Should have sharp corners. Pages should be off-white to cream and feel fresh and supple. It is very rare to find NM copies of older books.
Mint (MT)
Books are practically perfect. Much like Near Mint but pages should be white, not off-white.
Gem Mint (GM)
Exceptional copies – the best copies ever. Perfect.
Once you have familiarized yourself with the attributes of each grade you will want to collect some materials to grade your books.
You will want...
- Gloves (rubber/latex) – prevent oils from your skin getting on books
- Ruler – to assess extent of tears
- Magnifying glass – depending on how thorough you wish to be. More is better in this case.
- Acid Free bags and backing boards – to store comics
- Scotch Tape – to seal bags
- Monster Box – this is just a cardboard box to store your comics in
- Comic book price guide and something to record your findings – Overstreet is King …check my blogpost here.
Using your tools and knowledge of the grading scale carefully look over your books making note of all defects. Be sure to pay extra attention to the spine, cover, centerfold, and page color. When you are done assessing the book record your best estimate of it’s grade. Place an acid free backing board into an acid free bag and gently slide your comic in. Tape the bag shut and set it aside in your monster box.
Keep in mind that grading is subjective, to an extent, and it will take practice to really master it. You may want to look at other sellers grading on eBay to get a better idea of how others grade their books. If you wish to have your books professionally graded the best place to send them is the CGC. There are other services too like CBCS and PGX but CGC is the most respected.
Happy collecting!
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