Get Comics Graded

[Gauthier Zitnik]

We know their is a lucrative business for comic buying, selling, and collecting. Some because of the first introductions of our beloved characters. Other times, some comics can often be something that did not initially seem popular. The close crash of the industry boosted the value of numerous titles. Mainly due to so many getting tossed away (makes me sick to think about). The rarity of a comic, plus time, obviously boosts their value. Having comics graded increases their value, which again, can be extremely lucrative.

For instance, my dad remembers the comic he used as his inspiration for his first drawing of Batman. He even remembers the exact page and panel thanks to some Omnibus searches. However, once the comic is graded and sealed, we can no longer see the stories or favorite panels that made us fall in love with a character(s).

The best part of comics is reading them, especially multiple times. Being able to see the visual masterpieces over and over. Once a comic is graded, this is no longer an option. If you are a collector for the sake of collecting, then it makes sense. However, being able to read comics numerous times adds to their life and the magic they bring us. My dad and I used to read older comics under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. We would not be able do that if the comics are sealed. Sure, we could read current issues. But, part of the nostalgia of the holiday was reading past classics.

My dad and I have a few comics worth a decent amount. They are in plastic sleeves, cardboard backing, and in a firesafe lock box. I do not want them graded because every so often I enjoy going back through them. They bring back not only a sense of nostalgia, but magic every time I read them. These feelings are limited when a comic is graded, and sealed away for good.

So while they still may be worth a little, not nearly as much as if they were in their original packaging. However, just like with graded comics, I will take the experiences with them outside of their sealed casings anytime.

Again, this is no hate towards those who choose to have graded comics. To each their own. However, I prefer to have the experiences of reading them whenever I want. Maybe one day I will sell them. But, until then, I will have them for my viewing pleasure whenever I want.

What better way to verify your comic book's value, while preserving it and maintaining it's condition than to have it graded and slabbed! Grading on a scale of .5 up to 10, you will be able to present with confidence exactly what you have in your collection! Protect it four own piece of mind, or add extra value to it when it comes time to sell! Featuring comics graded by premium services like

CGC stands for Certified Guaranty Company. They were founded in 2000 and exploded onto the scene as the first real authority on comic grading. Introducing standards revolutionized the high-end comics industry, to put it lightly.

Before CGC, if you wanted to sell a valuable comic, you had to get it appraised by a comics dealer or some authority. You could take it to an auction house, but if they didn't have a comics specialist on staff, you never knew what kind of value you would get. Comics dealers could be more reliable, but not always. There was always a risk of an unscrupulous dealer giving a great-quality comic a low grade to convince you to accept a lower offer than the book is worth.

CGC helped do away with massive fraud in the industry simply by offering one centralized, standardized source of authority for comic grading. Their process is impartial, and their grades are consistent, so people trading in comics know what a rating means, more or less.

In the decades since CGC stepped up, other companies have tried to compete in the same space. Some are grading agencies for other collectibles stepping into the comic industry, while others sprang up as attempts to compete with CGC directly. The question is, who are these competitors, and are any of them worth using over CGC?

CBCS is widely considered the biggest competitor to CGC. They were acquired by and are now powered/backed/funded by Beckett Media, one of the foremost collectible pricing and preservation authorities.

They're usually considered one of the more reputable grading companies. While their grading process is on par with CGC, their grades aren't generally given quite as much weight. Therefore, a high-grade comic graded by CGC will carry slightly more value than the same comic graded by CBCS.

CBCS was founded by Steve Borock, the head grader and big name behind CGC when they first started. He left CGC to create CBCS. Beckett, meanwhile, offers BGS: Beckett Grading Services, perhaps the most respected sports card grading service.

In the past, CBCS was a hard choice for grading because their slabs were sub-par in quality, but they've improved dramatically, and their current process is very similar to CBCs, though CBC is still considered the gold standard.

PGX is the dark horse of the comic grading world. They've been around since 2002, almost as long as CGC, but in that time, they've had a lot of scandals and rumors floating around about them. Some claim they "over-grade" and inflate the ratings of books compared to CGC. Others think they're super shady.

Most of the reasons for these stories came from the early days when PGX was looking to get a foothold and compete with CGC but didn't have the industry clout to do it. A few bad decisions on their part trashed their reputation for decades to come. There are plenty of horror stories about having comics swapped out with different, less-valuable printings, having grades pumped up, not flagging restored comics, and more. Everyone knows someone with a story like that, but it's tricky to find someone with a first-hand account.

EGS is a newcomer to the comic grading space founded in 2018. Right now, they're very much in the same hole PGX was, where they have some trust issues in the industry and a lot of questionable business decisions on deck.

For example, they offer slabs that can be easily opened and re-sealed. Folks, the point of a slab is to seal the comic so that it can't be swapped, tampered with, or exposed to more degradation from the elements. Sure, they put a "Tamper-evident seal" on it, but still. What good does it do to have one you can open back up? They also have grading labels that can be upgraded or color-customized for a fee, and they do slab-less raw grading, and in general, it's all questionable.

We won't recommend EGS, at least not for now, but it's worth mentioning that they exist, so you know they're out there. Maybe if they prove themselves in another few years, they can hang with the big boys.

Any book sent to CGC is assigned a unique barcode, authenticated, and graded. A distinct label is created with the grade, barcode, and other information, color-coded based on factors such as restoration, signatures, or being part of a pedigree collection. Once the label is created, the book is slabbed up and sealed.

In addition to grading, CGC also provides some restoration services through another affiliated business, CCS. However, they disclaim that some comic books are worth more in their current state than if they were to be restored. Any comic that has been restored will receive a purple label, nicknamed the PLOD or the "Purple Label of Death." They also offer a pressing service that can remove minor bends and dents in a book and enhance the appearance of a comic in a way that will not make the comic book "restored." Books that are pressed and not restored will receive the Universal Blue Label.

Pricing for CGC is tricky, and they have a whole page dedicated to it. On top of that, to even submit to CGC, you need to be a member, which costs a minimum of $25 per year. Their larger membership packages are priced at $149/year and $299/year and include discounts and grading credits that you can use towards future submissions.

CBCS is very similar to CGC in terms of services offered, which makes sense since they're modeled to be a competitor in the same arenas. The CBCS grading scale is almost identical to CGCs, except they have more granularity at the bottom end, with .1 and .3 grades below the .5 baseline of CGC.

CBCS grading does not require membership as CGC does, but having a membership offers a 10% discount on grading prices. Their pricing page shows rates for each kind of grading, divided by the book's age and how fast you want them to process it.

PGX is more straightforward than the other companies in some ways, but not by much. They do grading, of course, and pressing and cleaning, just like the other two. They can pre-screen what you send them and authenticate signatures as well.

Regarding grading scales, PGX uses the Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide, which has the same numerical scale as CBCS. The definitions of what falls into which category are up for a bit of interpretation, though, and many people feel that PGX will grade a book higher than CGC or CBCS.

Turnaround times are crucial for people trying to get their collections graded for sale but may be less relevant for casual grading or a slow collection authentication. For serious enthusiasts, it's far more valuable to have their comic correctly graded by a company with a longer wait time than risk an improper job by a lesser-known company.

Unfortunately, it's difficult to say what turnaround times will be today. COVID, global mail and transportation problems, and other issues mean that estimates can be very off. You can know that when you pay for rush grading, they'll move you to the front of the pack. But, how long it takes for that pack to process is up in the air.

CGC turnaround times are the fastest with "WalkThrough" grading, which is the most expensive, but only takes two days. Express is five days, modern comics are around three weeks (with the fast track in ten days), and their "Economy" grading is nearly a year, 227 days as of this writing, with a fast track option of "only" 35 days.

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