What to Look For When Grading Comic Books
Factors Which Determine Whether Comics are Mint, Fine, or Good
Sep 13, 2009
Thanks to modern systems for grading comic books, collectors and appraisers are now much more precise about what factors contribute to a comic book's grade, and therefore to its value.
Generally, comics are graded by the amount of flaws they have – the fewer the flaws, the higher the grade. Here are some of the important categories of comic book flaws which can make the difference between a 10.0 Gem Mint comic and a 4.5 Very Good+ comic.
How the Cover Affects Comic Book Grading
The cover is the most distinctive part of a comic book, designed to get readers and buyers interested. Even though a classic comic book will never be on a newsstand again, its cover remains the most important feature for collectors – especially since they may never open it up.
Here are some factors experts take into account when judging a cover's condition:
- Bindery/Printing: Some comics are doomed to a lower grade by manufacturing errors. Miswrapped or mistrimmed covers, for instance, can occur during printing and assembly.
- Cover Inks/Gloss: Covers are graded on how vibrant or shiny they are. Exposure to sunlight or other environmental factors can dull covers, and lower that comic's grade.
- Cover Creases: Creases on the cover can lower a comic's grade considerably, because they are very visible. The bigger and more pronounced the crease, the lower the grade.
- Cover Wear: Color chips, flecks, scrapes, dents, dimples, and other minor signs of general wear also negatively affect a comic's grade. Distributors' stamps and other marks are also detrimental.
The Spine: More Factors For Grading Comics
The second most important part of a comic book, from the grader's perspective, is its spine. Since comics are designed to be opened and read, wear and tear on the spine is common, especially on older comics. That means that comics with undamaged spines are much more prized. Spine-related grading criteria include:
- Spine Split: Spines that have been bent back and forth repeatedly may start to come apart along the fold, bringing down the grade in relation to the length of the split. If the split continues to increase, the cover may come off completely.
- Spine Roll: This curling of the spine occurs when pages of a comic book are folded back in succession as the comic is read. The greater or more progressive (diagonal) the spine roll, the lower the grade.
- Spine Stress: This appears in small folds perpendicular to the spine, caused by bending the comic horizontally.
- Staples: For a high-grade comic, staples should be original, centered, and clean – staples can rust under adverse conditions, and bring down a comic book grade considerably. Tears around the staples and loose centerfolds are other negative factors.
Miscellaneous Comic Book Grading Criteria
General factors affecting comic book condition can include:
- Corners: All corners should be sharp and square, with no creases or blunting. This is especially important for covers, but applies to interior pages too.
- Paper Condition: High-grade comics will have paper that is still white to off-white in color, and feels supple and fresh. Yellowed pages that have an acidic odor bring down a comic's grade.
- Missing Pieces, Tears, and Cuts: It's not surprising that pieces missing from the comic's cover or interior pages lower its grade. Such flaws can be caused by anything from rat chews to cut-out coupons (more common in older comics).
- Soiling and Staining: Water damage, oil stains, discoloration, and mold growth (foxing) are other flaws to look for when grading comics.
The Importance of Comic Book Grading Criteria
These categories of grading criteria are essential to learn for comics collectors, and are broadly acknowledged across the hobby. Not all flaws are considered equally bad by collectors, and there is disagreement over the effect of other features, such as autographs or restoration work, on comic book grading. Nevertheless, being aware of these basic factors helps collectors make informed buying decisions.
Source:
Robert M. Overstreet and Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg. The Official Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide, Third Edition. Random House, 2006. ISBN-13: 978-0375-72106-9.
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