Helpful Tips for getting your comics graded
Share
You have been collecting comics for a while and now you are wondering which comics should be graded, we have all been there. Collecting comics is Awesome! Of course, there are some things that you may not already know. When I first started collecting, I was interested in the 1994 Fleer Ultra X-men Cards. Firstly, they were amazing looking, and secondly, they had stats and facts about the characters that you could read. I kept them in a binder that had pages of inserts for displaying the cards.
I can tell you right now that is not how you keep them safe and in mint condition. Over the years they started to bend due to the pages not being perfectly straight. If I could do it all again, I would have put each one into an individual case to keep them in the best condition. You live and learn.
I learned from those mistakes and now I am better at protecting my investment. When I began collecting comics, I knew exactly how to take care of them, and I passed that knowledge to my kids. As best I could, because we all know how well they listen to us old folks. They will do what they want and then realize we were right all along.
After you have decided which comics you would like to get graded. What I do to decide is how popular and how old is the comic or do I really like the comic and want to protect it forever. One of the best parts about getting your comics graded, in my opinion, is the Slab that protects the comic.
If the comic is silver age (1956-1970) or Bronze age (1970 – 1985), then you will most definitely want to get these graded. If it is Modern Age (1985-Present) then it is your choice or if it is extremely popular. I.e. The Walking Dead #100 first appearance of Negan, then most definitely get it graded. If it is something that you enjoy and want to keep in the best condition, then also get it graded.
You must first check to see what the highest grade you can get is. What I mean by that is if it is an old enough comic then no one will have above a 9.0, meaning that no one had the foresight to keep it in good enough condition to get higher than 9.0. The scale is:
10.0 (GEM MINT)
9.9 (MINT)
9.6 (NEAR MINT+)
9.4 (NEAR MINT)
9.2 (NEAR MINT-)
8.5 (VERY FINE+)
8.0 (VERY FINE)
7.0 (FINE/VERY FINE)
6.5 (FINE+)
6.0 (FINE)
5.5 (FINE-)
5.0 (VERY GOOD/FINE)
4.5 (VERY GOOD+)
4.0 (VERY GOOD)
3.5 (VERY GOOD-)
3.0 (GOOD/VERY GOOD)
2.5 (GOOD+), 2.0 (GOOD)
1.8 (GOOD-)
1.0 (FAIR)
.5(POOR)
(https://comicspriceguide.com/) I recommend getting an account because they have very good information on the Site.
You must look at the comic from an outside perspective. Pretend it is not your comic and you are going to buy it. look at everything, the cover, the back, the edges, the corners, the pages, and what is supposed to be in it if anything. Sometimes comics include a poster or some other collectible, to get the highest grade you need that to be included.
What am I looking for Joe? Well, you are looking for any blemishes and any wrinkles on the cover and on the back cover, as well as scratches. you are looking down the spine for any kind of bend at all. The edges, you are looking for folds and bends. The corners, you will be looking for bends and cuts or (God forbid) rounded!! These are all things that the grader will also be looking for. This is just for you to understand what kind of grade you may get for the comic. This way you aren't expecting a high grade and then it comes back low.
What you don’t want to do is try to fix it like ironing the cover or steaming it. You also don’t want to try to clean it because it could make it worse, especially if you have never done it before. When you send it to be graded this is another thing they will be looking for. If they suspect something has been done to the comic they may give it a lower grade, due to it making the comic lower in value from the attempt at cleaning etc.
The purpose of you looking at the comic at all is so you know what you will be getting, and you aren't expecting something higher. You are looking for all the things they are looking for, white pages, good-looking cover with little to no scratches, good corners no bends, is everything listed included, I.e. did it come with a poster. If you ultimately decide that you do not want to do it because it might be lower than you would like, that is fine, that is exactly why you are pre-screening it.
After you have looked at your comic and decided if you are going to grade it then you can go to the above site Comics Price Guide, and then it will tell you what it is possibly worth, the only true way to see what it is worth is to go to eBay and search for the comic and then filter it to Sold, this will tell you the last price this comic sold at, that is the key to finding the accurate market value. If you are grading it for yourself then it will be bragging rights and the ability to show it off to your friends etc. If you may one day sell it, then you can just login and see what it is worth and sell it.
If you are interested in getting your comics Graded our grading service is perfect because you don’t have to pay for a yearly subscription or for the shipping to and from or individual price for each comic to be graded. You pay one price and that will get you the comic shipped to us graded and shipped back to you. This is perfect if you are only doing one comic, or just a few every 6 months or so.
All you do is go to the main store or (Click Here) and add Grade My Comic to your cart and pay for that along with shipping for us to ship your box and we send a paid shipping label for it to come to us, the time frame is standard for businesses 1-3 months. We will keep you informed every step of the way how your comic is doing.
If you want more information about your comic and the process email, info@dark-arts-comics.com we will do an estimate of what we think it will get and email you to see if that is good with you then we will send it in. If you any questions, please email info@dark-arts-comics.com and they will be answered ASAP. Please follow us for more content.
