How Much Does It Cost to Get Your Comic Book Collection Graded?
Comic books mean the world to connoisseurs of these publications.
What if you find your long-lost favorite comic book, out of the rubble, in a pristine state? Apart from feeling delightfully surprised, you may wonder about its worth and whether or not it will need to be graded.
Above all, you may have several doubts about the cost that goes into grading a comic book.
The process of grading comic books involves multiple steps. Read on to know more about its cost and how to get graded comic books.
- What Are Graded Comic Books?
The grading of comic books is largely determined by the condition of your comic book collections. It is a simple way to value your comic books based on their state. A higher CGC grade means better condition, automatically increasing the value of your comic book.
- How Are Comic Books Graded?
Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) was founded in 2000. CGC is the most trusted third-party grading service for comic books. It provides clear, objective, and impartial assessments of comic books’ authenticity and grade.
Comic book grading is a multi-tiered process. Several parameters are accounted for to determine the grade of your comic book. A few of them are as follows:
- The condition of the comic book’s spine, cover, and corners
- The condition of the pages in the comic book
- Rips, tears, or dog ears in the comic books
- Damage caused due to heat, sun or moisture
- Discoloration of the pages
- Presence of printer registration, errata or other defects
The steps involved in the grading of comic books include:
- Receiving collectibles
- Verification of collectibles
- Authenticating the comic books
- Grading of comic books
- Encapsulation
- Quality control
- Packaging and shipping
- How Much Does Its Cost to Grade Comic Books?
The cost of grading comic books depends on several factors. The fee structure is divided into eight categories, which are as follows:
- Walkthroughs
No maximum value is associated with per comic book. The average fee is 3% of the fair market value (FMV). This FMV is a minimum of $150 and a maximum of $5000. You may receive your comic books on the same day.
- Express
The maximum value is $3000 and the flat fee is $100. The turnaround for this category is seven days.
- Standard
The maximum value for this category ranges from $1000 to $65. The turnaround for this category is 23 days.
- Economy
The fee for this category ranges from $400 to $38 per book. This category comes with an additional feature called Fast Track at an extra $10. The usual turnaround under this category is 38 days. However, on additional payment, you may get your comic books in 24 days.
- Value
This category comes at $200. This category offers the Fast Track option at an extra $37. While the Fast Track option gets the grading done in 26 days, the normal process takes 74 days.
- Modern
This category charges range between $200 or $20 per book. The Fast Track option will cost you $30 more.
- PreScreen
The prescreen service is used if you have a large number of comic books to submit under the Value, Economy or Modern categories. The evaluators charge the grading fees only for comics that meet or exceed the minimum grade.
- Reholder
Your comics can get reholdered for $25. However, if your comic books cost less than $50000 FMV, you will be charged $15. The turnaround under this category is 22 days.
- What Are the Benefits of Graded Comic Books?
CGC comic books come with several advantages. The grade offers an expert assessment of the condition of your comic book. This eliminates chances of grade misrepresentation. CGC-certified collectible comic books are graded by at least two comic professionals. It, therefore, ensures integrity, quality, and consistency.
Furthermore, the CGC holder protects your comic books from damage. It is durable and tamper-evident. The holder is also lightweight and slim. This makes it easy for you to store and transport the comic books.
Graded comic books bought from a physical or online graded comic books store come with a label that displays information about the book and its grade. Moreover, the holder provides a clear view of the comic book from the outside and also comes with a safety mechanism that allows you to access the comic book.
Overall, CGC graded comic books come with consistent standards, are impartially graded, and have a tamper-evident protective holder. These qualities enable you to trade your CGC graded comic books with confidence. You can rest assured that you will get a fair price for your CGC graded comic books if they are in good condition.
Wrap Up
Possession of comic book collectibles can be a matter of pride. However, comic books can get damaged over time. Further, you may have questions about the value of your comics. CGC is the most reliable third-party authority to gauge the value of your collection. Hopefully, this post will help you understand the various factors as well as the costs involved in the grading of comic books.
Author Bio – Matt Shively and Matt Martin founded Wicked Monkey in 2020 in the pursuit of creating a comics shop concerned with the full “ecosystem” that exists in the cross-over between the world of fine arts, contemporary collectibles, and comics. Wicked Monkey an online store that sells a curated collection of high-quality graded comic books from various mainstream publishers such as DC, Marvel, Boom! Studios, and specializes in independent publishers—all boasting a high CGC score, the majority being a 9.8 score out of 10.
