Step by Step Grading Guide?

[Bodhi396]

I'm new to comic grading, and was wondering if anyone knows a website that has a good, comprehensive step by step guide to grading, preferably with pics as examples. Basically I just would like a guide that goes through what exactly to look for when you first look at a comic to figure out a basic grade and what types of things will lower the grade. Something that shows you a 9.2 and explains in detail the things on it that make it that way instead of a 9.4 or 9.0. I've read some basic guides that don't go into any depth and have no pictures of what they are talking about, so they don't help me too much.

[BillS25]

The Official Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide has lots of pictures and examples to give you a general idea but to be honest the difference between a 9.0 and up can be one single defect where as the grading guide will tell you ALL the potential defects that could show up in a given grade but if the given grade had all of the defects listed the book would be assessed a lower grade.

 

Always keep in mind you can have 20 examples of a 9.2 all presenting differently, some with one larger defect and others with several smaller defects which cumulatively have the same weight as the single defect on the other book.

 

Learning to grade comes with time and very often many, MANY errors along the way. Ultimately, trust your gut. If it doesn't feel like a 9.2 it probably isn't.

[chrisco37]

OS Grading Guide Vol 3 on Amazon

 

It's not perfect, but it's a good place to start.

[Bodhi396]

Just curious, before third-party grading became big, did anyone differentiate between books 9.0 and above in terms of price? Did CGC artificially create an entire grading category when before no one actually cared and a book now graded 9.0 would sell for same amount a book now graded 9.8?

[chrisco37]

Metro came up with (or is credited with) the 100pt grading scale.

 

Multiples of guide prices have been around for years and years (Chuck priced the Church books at multiples when he brought them to the market).

 

If you look at older ads, you'll see books described as NM or NM/M or NM++, etc... and those books were priced higher.

 

Once CGC came around, the precedents were already there. The marketplace just increased those spreads.

[divad]

Step by Step Grading Guide?

 

1. Pick up book . . . (next?)

[rjpb]

 

If you look at older ads, you'll see books described as NM or NM/M or NM++, etc... and those books were priced higher.

 

Once CGC came around, the precedents were already there. The marketplace just increased those spreads.

 

To put it mildly. Incremental increases in grade above NM went from meaning a fractional increase in price to a multiple.

[Mio]

 

If you look at older ads, you'll see books described as NM or NM/M or NM++, etc... and those books were priced higher.

 

Once CGC came around, the precedents were already there. The marketplace just increased those spreads.

 

To put it mildly. Incremental increases in grade above NM went from meaning a fractional increase in price to a multiple.

 

They probably would have been larger (the spreads) in pre-CGC days, if grading had been more consistent. I think CGC just unleashed the $ potential of the best stuff, with an opinion that most people can trust.

[Zoso20]

time to polish my skills....

[RockMyAmadeus]

[RockMyAmadeus]

[oakman29]

To be honest grading books correctly is acquired by experience,hang out in the PGM threads and test yourself.Look at your own books and try to give yourself a grade,then post those books to see if we come close to your grades.

[Underground44]

To be honest grading books correctly is acquired by experience,hang out in the PGM threads and test yourself.Look at your own books and try to give yourself a grade,then post those books to see if we come close to your grades.

 

+1 When I sent my first submission to CGC (moderns) and they came back as 9.2's + 9.4's and even an 8.5! I soon learnt by trial and error.

I'm still not the best grader but at least I can get within an acceptable range now and I have picked a few 9.8's.

The PGM threads are INVALUABLE and much better than any step by step guide IMO. I used to spend hours guessing grades.

It takes time...

[Logan510]

To be honest grading books correctly is acquired by experience,hang out in the PGM threads and test yourself.Look at your own books and try to give yourself a grade,then post those books to see if we come close to your grades.

 

 

To be fair, I find it very difficult to grade accurately from scans, even when they're a high resolution. Also, learning how to grade and learning how CGC grades can be very different. I would recommend the OP try to find a mentor who knows what they're doing. I was lucky enough to have someone show me the ropes when I was a kid.

[oakman29]

To be honest grading books correctly is acquired by experience,hang out in the PGM threads and test yourself.Look at your own books and try to give yourself a grade,then post those books to see if we come close to your grades.

 

 

To be fair, I find it very difficult to grade accurately from scans, even when they're a high resolution. Also, learning how to grade and learning how CGC grades can be very different. I would recommend the OP try to find a mentor who knows what they're doing. I was lucky enough to have someone show me the ropes when I was a kid.

I understand your point,but at least it gives the OP a starting point to learn from experience.Not everyone can have a mentor.

[Underground44]

To be honest grading books correctly is acquired by experience,hang out in the PGM threads and test yourself.Look at your own books and try to give yourself a grade,then post those books to see if we come close to your grades.

 

 

To be fair, I find it very difficult to grade accurately from scans, even when they're a high resolution. Also, learning how to grade and learning how CGC grades can be very different. I would recommend the OP try to find a mentor who knows what they're doing. I was lucky enough to have someone show me the ropes when I was a kid.

 

I see what your saying here but It's difficult for some people such as myself who have no contact with other collectors other than this site. My nearest comic shop is also a plane flight away.

Scans are not ideal to grade from but it gave me a starting point at least. You can't find that sort of help anywhere else online.

[Logan510]

To be honest grading books correctly is acquired by experience,hang out in the PGM threads and test yourself.Look at your own books and try to give yourself a grade,then post those books to see if we come close to your grades.

 

 

To be fair, I find it very difficult to grade accurately from scans, even when they're a high resolution. Also, learning how to grade and learning how CGC grades can be very different. I would recommend the OP try to find a mentor who knows what they're doing. I was lucky enough to have someone show me the ropes when I was a kid.

I understand your point,but at least it gives the OP a starting point to learn from experience.Not everyone can have a mentor.

 

Probably the best experience he has gotten was submitting books and getting them back lower than what he thought they'd be. Granted, the graders are only human and there will be some inconsistency, but if you look at enough slabbed books you get a general idea of what defects are allowed for the grade.

 

As an aside: I gave my wife a crash course in how to grade and what to look for when it comes to books. The last two times she's helped me look for books she's picked me out a couple of nice scores

[rodan57]

To be honest grading books correctly is acquired by experience,hang out in the PGM threads and test yourself.Look at your own books and try to give yourself a grade,then post those books to see if we come close to your grades.

 

+1 When I sent my first submission to CGC (moderns) and they came back as 9.2's + 9.4's and even an 8.5! I soon learnt by trial and error.

I'm still not the best grader but at least I can get within an acceptable range now and I have picked a few 9.8's.

The PGM threads are INVALUABLE and much better than any step by step guide IMO. I used to spend hours guessing grades.

It takes time...

 

Scans hide important information as do slabs. Don't be shy. Crack as many slabs as you can in the grade range you are interested in and compare first hand. (Just be a little circumspect with books graded over the past year. )

[evi1pau1]

I asked the same question when I found these boards. The best answer I got was:

 

Overstreet grading guide 2nd edition. Can buy it on amazon.

I'd do three things (in fact I did).

1. Read the Overstreet guide

2. Set up a (free) account at Heritage (ha.com) and look through their archive of tens of thousands of graded books with big scans

3. Hang out in the 'buddy can you spare a grade' forum here and watch people grade

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=50&page=1

 

I did this, and posted some of my comics that I was uncertain about.

I think I have gotten a much better idea of grading by doing this. Popping into the "buddy..." forum regularly to spot check scans vs replies I'm usually there or there abouts.

 

However I am very disappointed that after so many years there is still not a widely know standard method for ascertaining a grade based on type & number of flaws found.

CGC wont disclose their methods, which annoys the spoon out of me.

[Boozad]

I asked the same question when I found these boards. The best answer I got was:

 

Overstreet grading guide 2nd edition. Can buy it on amazon.

I'd do three things (in fact I did).

1. Read the Overstreet guide

2. Set up a (free) account at Heritage (ha.com) and look through their archive of tens of thousands of graded books with big scans

3. Hang out in the 'buddy can you spare a grade' forum here and watch people grade

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=50&page=1

 

I did this, and posted some of my comics that I was uncertain about.

I think I have gotten a much better idea of grading by doing this. Popping into the "buddy..." forum regularly to spot check scans vs replies I'm usually there or there abouts.

 

However I am very disappointed that after so many years there is still not a widely know standard method for ascertaining a grade based on type & number of flaws found.

CGC wont disclose their methods, which annoys the spoon out of me.

 

You should have asked me.