What does "grading" mean?: The term "grading" refers to finding the condition that a comic book is in. When you go to buy a car, an antique, house, or other purchases, you want to know what kind of shape it is in. The grade of a comic book is very similar to a report card grade. The higher the grade, the better the condition the comic book is in.
Why Do I Need To Grade My Comics?:
Grading is extremely important when collecting comic books. It is the first step for many of processes that a collector will go through, from finding the value of a comic book, to selling a comic book. The grade is something you must know about.
Grading Terms:
There are many terms used to describe the grade of a comic book. They are based either on a numeric system or the grading terms that follow.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Mint:
For a comic book to be considered, “Mint” it needs to meet the following criteria:
Outside:
The Cover
There should be no creases.
The cover should have no fading and look like new.
The comic should lie flat and not roll or have curves.
The Spine
The Spine should be straight with no rolling.
Staples should be like new and not rusted.
Inside:
The Pages
There should be no tears or cuts.
The color should be bright with no discoloration, or fading.
There should be no stains or marks.
Autographs are acceptable.
Overall:
The Comic should look as if it came fresh from the store.
----------------------------------------------------------
Near Mint:
For a comic book to be considered, “Near Mint” it needs to meet the following criteria:
Outside:
The Cover
There should be no creases.
The cover should have no fading.
The comic should lie flat and not roll or have curves.
The cover may be slightly off center.
The Spine
The Spine should be straight with no rolling.
Staples should be like new and not rusted.
Minor bindery tears are acceptable no more than 1/16th of an inch.
Inside:
The Pages
Only minor fading is allowed.
----------------------------------------------------------
Very Fine:
For a comic book to be considered, “Very Fine” it needs to meet the following criteria:
Outside:
The Cover
The cover should be mostly flat but may have some wear.
The colors of the cover may be slightly faded.
Corners may be slightly creased.
The Spine
May have slight wear.
The spine should be flat, but some lines may be visible.
Inside:
The Pages
May have minor printing and binding defects.
----------------------------------------------------------
Fine:
For a comic book to be considered, “Fine” it needs to meet the following criteria:
Outside:
The Cover
There will probably be minor wear.
Minor creasing is acceptable.
The corners may be blunted.
The Spine
The staples may have some discoloration.
Minor creases are OK.
The spine may have a roll to it.
Inside:
The Pages
There may be minor tears on the edges.
Discoloration is OK as long as it is not major.
The pages may be tan or brown in color.
----------------------------------------------------------
Very Good:
For a comic book to be considered, “Very Good” it needs to meet the following criteria:
Outside:
The Cover
My have a large amount of wear including creases, fading, and discoloration.
A better copy with a piece of the cover missing will fall into this category.
The cover may have a price sticker or date sticker.
The Spine
The spine may be rolled.
The staples may have rust.
Inside:
The Pages
The pages may be brown in color.
A finer copy with a tear repaired with tape.
May have minor printing defects.
Overall:
A very average used comic book.
----------------------------------------------------------
Good:
For a comic book to be considered, “Good” it needs to meet the following criteria:
Outside:
The Cover
A detached cover is acceptable.
Creases, fading and major discoloration available.
Minor tears and folds.
Coupons may be cut from the cover.
The Spine
The staples may discolored, rusted, or even absent.
Creases and minor tears permitted.
Inside:
The Pages
May have some obvious types of repair such as tape.
The color of the pages may be brown.
----------------------------------------------------------
Fair:
For a comic book to be considered, “Fair” it needs to meet the following criteria:
Outside:
The Cover
The cover may be detached from the comic.
There may large amounts of wear including fading, discoloration, and stains.
Coupons may be cut from the cover.
Less than 1/12 of the cover missing is accepted.
The Spine
Major wear accepted.
Staples may be missing.
The spine may be split up to 2/3rds of the cover.
Inside:
The Pages
The pages are often faded, discolored, torn, or stained, but must still be readable.
Most of the page should not be brittle.
Overall:
Near the bottom of the barrel.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Poor:
For a comic book to be considered, “Poor” it needs to meet the following criteria:
Outside:
The Cover
The cover will show major signs of wear.
May have large stains, large amounts of fading, rips, tears, and pieces missing.
The Spine
Spine will mostly likely be bent and torn.
Staples may be missing.
Inside:
The Pages
Large stains and even mold damage.
There may be pages missing.
Marks, tears, and other things that may affect the story.
Stay tuned for more information about comic books and how to sell and collect them.
