Comic Book Grading 101

Okay so you want to start collecting but you don't understand the whole "grading system."

For years comic book geeks around the world have used the two accepted grading systems to develop an intimidating language that would even make a lawyer blush. However,
understanding these systems is the cornerstone of maintaining a successful and even profitable collection, and to be honest, only takes a little common sense to comprehend.

Currently there are two grading systems, the older industry standard, based on a numeric values from one to ten (one being very poor condition and ten being "mint" condition) and a somewhat newer version based on terms such as: poor, fair, good, very good, fine, very fine, near mint, mint.

About.com contributor Aaron Albert gives a pretty good explanation about both system as do the uber collectors over at Metropolis Comics.

It is also important to know who can officially "grade" these comics. There are many people out there that will toss out numbers and terms, but most of those are based upon personal perception and should be taken with a grain of salt. However, the Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) is considered to be the big dog in yard on these matters and should be near the top of your list when seeking an official appraisal. Let's say you are cleaning out your basement one day and find a bunch of "I Love Lucy" comics from the 50's (yep, they existed), your first instinct may be to toss them, but then that little voice in your head whispers "I wonder if they are worth anything?" If you have enough of the comics and want to invest a little in shipping and services, you send them to CGC for an official numeric rating, plus when they ship them back to you each comic will be sealed in high quality hard plastic with an official mumeric rating (1 - 10) and the futuristic (ooohh....aahhhh) CGC hologram on the front (see image above). This pretty much says what it is and sets it in stone and if these particular 50 year old comics are rated well (6.5 - 10, in my opinion) this could be worth the $$, however if they come back with a really low rating, you may find yourself upside down on the exploratory investment.

What you may want to do instead is first give each comic a good once over ask your self some basic questions: is the binding intact? are there any rips or tears? yellowing of the pages? Be truthful with yourself and give each comic a novice but conservative guess of where you would rate it and weigh the option, does it merit a further exam and investment to determine final grade. Still don't know? take them to a comic book store and chat with one of the clerks, get his or her opinion, normally they are more than happy to help, but remember until you are more savvy in this whole rating thing don't look to sell...at least not at this time, all you want is a non official appraisal. You can also use a site like Ebay to get a ballpark estimate on what they may be worth and if the merit further - official - appraisal.

BTW: just so I don't get yelled at, some of the local comic shops employ official appraiser's so you should always ask if they do and from what entity do they have they license.