Grading Comic Books As I Understand It
Posted on: January 5, 2011
I have a bit of a thing for vintage comic books especially Silver Age. And as a collector of vintage comic books, the price tag can climb very easily. So it is important to do your research, make sure you know exactly what you’re buying and the condition it’s in. The condition of a comic book really helps to determine what the fair market price is for any given issue. Of course after saying that, sometimes the market is what drives the price. There are certain circumstances such as rarity, and popularity which can also drive the price up on a particular issue. I am NO expert when it comes to grading comics, but what understanding I do have I would like to share with you.
POOR(P): comics which have complete stories that are still readable with many significant defects
FAIR (F) FAIR GOOD (FG) – worn copy with defects but slightly better condition then (P)
GOOD (G)- worn copy with defects such as tears, creases, writing, pieces out of the cover etc
GOOD VERY GOOD (GVG)- well read copy still with defects such as tears long creases or writing.
VERY GOOD (VG)- A copy in average condition, some wear but not severely damaged
VERY GOOD FINE (VGF)- slightly better than average copy with some inperfections. Obviously handled but cared for, still a decent copy
FINE (F)- above average copywhich has less than average wear. Some common defects can include slight corner wear, or some loss of cover gloss
FINE VERY FINE (FVF)- glossy clean copy, small imperfections, some slight wear, a few stress lines and maybe rounded corners
VERY FINE (VF)- excellent copy with slight wear begining to show, still has sharpness, glossy and clean
VERY FINE-NEAR MINT(VF-NM)- still excellent copy with slight inperfections like few tiny stress lines on spine or a minor printing or binding defect
NEAR MINT(NM)- Nearly perfect on close inspection, one or two tiny inperfections
MINT(M)- absolutely perfect in every way, mint is almost next to impossible to find
–ELLE ROLLINZ–
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