Standard Grading Scale - 0.5 to 10
10.0 GEM MINT (GM):
An outstanding example of a given book— the finest condition possible. Only the most minor bindery or printing imperfections are acceptable. The cover is perfectly flat with no surface wear, and the inks are bright with a high-gloss reflectivity. Corners are sharp and cut precisely square. The spine is tight, flat, and flawless. Staples must be original, well-centered, and free of rust or discoloration. The pages are clean, white, fresh, and supple, showing no signs of aging. There are no interior markings, autographs, or ownership signatures.
9.9 MINT (MT):
Nearly flawless in every respect, with only minor bindery or printing imperfections allowed. The cover is perfectly flat with no surface wear, and the inks remain bright with high reflectivity and minimal fading. Corners are sharp and precisely cut square. Small, discreet arrival dates—lightly penciled, stamped, or inked—are acceptable if placed unobtrusively. The spine is tight, flat, and free of defects. Staples must be original, generally well-centered, and clean, with no signs of rust. The pages are white, fresh, and supple, showing no signs of aging or damage.
9.8 NEAR MINT/MINT (NM/MT):
Nearly perfect in every way, with only minor flaws preventing it from achieving the next higher grade. Subtle bindery or printing defects are permissible. The cover is perfectly flat, showing no surface wear, with bright inks that have high reflectivity and minimal fading. Corners are sharp and precisely cut square. Small, discreet arrival dates—lightly penciled, stamped, or inked—are acceptable if placed unobtrusively. The spine is tight, flat, and undamaged. Staples must be original, generally well-centered, and free of rust. The paper is clean, white, fresh, and supple. Only the most minor interior tears are allowed.
9.6 NEAR MINT+ (NM+):
Nearly perfect with subtle additional qualities that elevate it above Near Mint. Only minor bindery or printing defects are allowed, with no bindery tears—though for Golden Age books, bindery tears of up to 1/8” may be noted. The cover is flat, free of surface wear, with bright inks that exhibit high reflectivity and minimal fading. One corner may show an almost imperceptible blunting but remains sharp and square-cut. Very faint indentations are permissible, but there must be no creases, bends, or color breaks. Small, discreet arrival dates—lightly penciled, stamped, or inked—are acceptable if unobtrusive. The spine is tight, flat, and free of defects. Staples must be original, generally well-centered, and may show only the slightest discoloration. The paper is fresh, supple, and off-white. Interior tears, if present, must be minimal and nearly invisible.
9.4 NEAR MINT (NM):
Nearly perfect with only minor imperfections preventing it from achieving the next higher grade. Subtle bindery or printing defects are allowed. Bindery tears must be less than 1/16” on Silver Age and later books, though Golden Age books may exhibit bindery tears of up to 1/4”. The cover is flat with no surface wear, and the inks remain bright with high reflectivity and minimal fading. Corners are sharp and square-cut, with only the slightest blunting permitted. A 1/16” bend is allowed, provided there is no color break. Small, discreet arrival dates—lightly penciled, stamped, or inked—are acceptable if unobtrusive. Slight foxing is permissible. The spine is tight and flat, with staples generally well-centered and showing only slight discoloration. Stress lines, if any, are virtually nonexistent. The paper is fresh, supple, and ranges from off-white to cream. Slight interior tears are acceptable.
9.2 NEAR MINT- (NM-):
Nearly perfect, with only minor additional defects that prevent it from achieving Near Mint. A limited number of minor bindery or printing imperfections are allowed. The cover is flat with no surface wear, and the inks remain bright with only the slightest dimming of reflectivity. Corners are sharp and square-cut, with very slight blunting permitted. A bend of 1/16” to 1/8” is acceptable, provided there is no color break. Small, discreet arrival dates—lightly penciled, stamped, or inked—are allowed if unobtrusively placed. Slight foxing is permissible. The spine is tight, flat, and clean, with staples that may show minor discoloration. Stress lines, if present, are nearly imperceptible. The paper is fresh, supple, and ranges from off-white to cream. Slight interior tears are allowed.
9.0 VERY FINE/NEAR MINT (VF/NM):
Nearly perfect with outstanding eye appeal. A limited number of minor bindery or printing defects are allowed. The cover is almost flat with only the slightest, nearly imperceptible wear. Inks remain bright but may show slightly reduced reflectivity. An 1/8” bend is allowed, provided there is no color break. Corners are cut square and sharp, though very slight blunting is permitted with no creases. Several small, discreetly placed arrival dates—penciled, stamped, or inked—are acceptable. Very minor foxing may be present. The spine is tight and flat, with staples that may show minimal discoloration. Only the slightest staple tears are allowed. A minor accumulation of nearly invisible stress lines may be present. Paper is off-white to cream, supple, and fresh. Very minor interior tears may also be present.
8.5 VERY FINE+ (VF+):
Meets the criteria for Very Fine but includes an additional virtue or a small combination of virtues that noticeably enhances the book’s overall appearance.
8.0 VERY FINE (VF):
An excellent copy with exceptional eye appeal. A limited accumulation of minor bindery or printing defects is acceptable. The cover is relatively flat with minimal surface wear that is just beginning to show, including the possibility of slight wear at corners. Inks are generally bright, retaining moderate to high reflectivity. A faint, unnoticeable 1/4” crease is allowed if there is no color break. Arrival dates—stamped or inked—are acceptable. Minor foxing may appear. The spine is mostly flat but may show slight wear, including a minor color break. Staples may have slight discoloration, and minor staple tears could be present. A few nearly invisible stress lines are also acceptable. Paper ranges from cream to tan and remains supple. The centerfold is mostly secure. Minor interior margin tears may be present.
7.5 VERY FINE- (VF-):
Meets the criteria for Very Fine but includes an additional defect or a small accumulation of defects that slightly diminishes the book’s visual appeal.
7.0 FINE/VERY FINE (FN/VF):
An above-average copy that exhibits minor wear but retains excellent eye appeal. A small accumulation of minor bindery or printing defects is allowed. Minor cover wear may be noticeable, including small creases. Corners may show some blunting. Inks are bright but may display a moderate loss of reflectivity. Arrival dates—inked or stamped—are acceptable. Minor foxing can appear. The spine may have the slightest roll or a minor color break. Staples may show some discoloration. Small staple tears and a light accumulation of stress lines may be visible. Slight rust migration is permissible. Paper ranges from cream to tan and remains relatively supple. The centerfold is mostly secure, and minor interior margin tears may be present.
6.5 FINE+ (FN+):
Meets the criteria for Fine but includes an additional virtue or combination of virtues that noticeably improves the book’s appearance.
6.0 FINE (FN):
An above-average copy that exhibits minor wear but remains relatively flat and clean, free from significant creases or major defects. Minor bindery or printing defects may accumulate. Cover wear is apparent, with slight to moderate creasing. Reflectivity of inks is reduced. Corners may show blunting, and minor staining, soiling, discoloration, or foxing may appear. Arrival dates may be visible. A minor spine roll is permitted, and a small spine split of up to 1/4” may be present, along with a noticeable color break. Staples may show slight discoloration. Minor staple tears, a few light stress lines, and some rust migration are acceptable. Paper ranges from tan to brown but remains fairly supple without brittleness. Minor interior margin tears may appear. The centerfold may be loose.
5.5 FINE- (FN-):
Meets the criteria for Fine but includes an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that noticeably diminishes the book’s visual appeal.
5.0 VERY GOOD/FINE (VG/FN):
An above-average yet well-used comic book. Minor to moderate bindery or printing defects are allowed. The cover shows evident wear, including small to moderate creases and dimples. Reflectivity of inks is low to moderate. Corners may be blunted, with minor to moderate discoloration, staining, or foxing. Arrival dates—inked or stamped—are permitted. A moderate spine roll may appear, along with a spine split up to 1/2”. Staples may show discoloration. Minor staple tears, light stress lines, and some rust migration may occur. Paper ranges from tan to brown but remains free from brittleness. The centerfold may be loose. Minor interior margin tears are allowed.
4.5 VERY GOOD+ (VG+):
Meets the criteria for Very Good but includes an additional virtue or combination of virtues that improves the book’s appearance.
4.0 VERY GOOD (VG):
The average used comic book showing moderate to significant wear. The cover may be partially loose but not fully detached, with low reflectivity and visible creases or dimples. Corners are blunted. Store stamps, arrival dates, and initials are acceptable. Discoloration, foxing, fading, and minor soiling are permitted. Up to a 1/4” triangle or 1/8” square may be missing. Minor amateur repair, such as unobtrusive tape, is acceptable. A moderate spine roll or spine split up to 1” may occur. Staples are discolored, and minor to moderate staple tears or stress lines are visible. Paper is brown but not brittle. Minor to moderate interior margin tears may appear, and the centerfold may be loose or detached at one staple.
3.5 VERY GOOD- (VG-):
Meets the criteria for Very Good but includes an additional defect or combination of defects that further diminishes the book’s appearance.
3.0 GOOD/VERY GOOD (GD/VG):
A well-used comic book showing substantial wear. The cover may be loose or detached at one staple with very low reflectivity. Book-length creases, dimples, and blunted or rounded corners are common. Discoloration, foxing, and moderate soiling are allowed. Up to a 1/2” triangle or 1/4” square may be missing. Amateur repairs such as tape may be present. A moderate spine roll and a split of up to 1.5” are permitted. Staples may be rusted, replaced, or missing. Stress lines, staple tears, and rust migration are visible. Paper is brown but not brittle. The centerfold may be loose or detached, and minor to moderate interior margin tears may be present.
2.5 GOOD+ (GD+):
Meets the criteria for Good but includes an additional virtue or combination of virtues that enhances the book’s appearance.
2.0 GOOD (GD):
A heavily worn comic book, often referred to as a “reading copy.” The cover may be detached and lacks reflectivity, with book-length creases, dimples, and rounded corners. Soiling, staining, discoloration, and foxing are common. Up to a 1/2” triangle or 1/4” square may be missing. Amateur repairs, like tape, are frequently seen. Spine splits up to 2” and significant spine rolls are allowed. Staples may be missing or replaced. Rust migration, stress lines, and staple tears are visible. Paper is brown, but not brittle, with interior tears and a possibly detached centerfold.
1.8 GOOD- (GD-):
Meets the criteria for Good but includes an additional defect or combination of defects that further diminishes its appearance.
1.5 FAIR/GOOD (FR/GD):
A heavily worn comic book with extensive creasing, scuffing, soiling, and potential unattractiveness, but still generally readable. The cover may be detached, with no reflectivity. Book-length tears, folds, and creases are common. Up to 1/10 of the back cover may be missing. Tape repairs are frequent. Spine splits may range from 2” to 2/3 of the book. Staples may be missing, replaced, or rusted. Stress lines, staple tears, and rust migration are visible. Paper is brown, with possible edge brittleness and acidic odor. Interior tears and detached centerfolds are common.
1.0 FAIR (FR):
A comic in this grade exhibits significant wear but is still considered collectible by some enthusiasts. The cover may be detached, with inks having lost all reflectivity. Creases, tears, and folds are common, while corners are often rounded or missing entirely. Soiling, staining, and amateur repairs such as tape are typical. Up to 25% of the front cover may be missing, or the back cover may be absent, but not both. Spine roll is frequent, and splits can extend up to two-thirds of the book’s length. Staples may be rusted, missing, or heavily discolored, often accompanied by extensive staple tears and stress lines. Paper is brown, with brittleness around the edges but generally intact in the central areas. An acidic odor is often present, and interior tears, as well as missing chunks, are expected. The centerfold may be missing as long as the story remains readable, and cut-out coupons are acceptable at this grade.
0.5 POOR (PR):
Comics graded as Poor are heavily degraded, with minimal or no collector value. These books are often incomplete, brittle, and lack eye appeal. The cover may be severely faded, with colors and inks indistinct or absent. Extreme staining, mildew, or heavy abrasion often obscures the design, and large portions of the cover may be missing. The edges are ragged, corners are rounded or gone, and there may be extensive amateur repairs, such as lamination or glued sections. Water damage, paint, or markers may have defaced the book further. Spine roll is extreme, with spines potentially split for the entire length. Staples are typically missing or severely rusted, accompanied by extensive rust migration and tears. The interior paper is extremely brittle, sometimes disintegrating with touch, and an intense acidic odor is common. Multiple pages, including the centerfold, are often missing, and readability is significantly affected. Extensive interior tears and missing coupons are also prevalent.
Grading
frequently asked
Questions
Question 1
Dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur. Dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas.
Question 2
Dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur. Dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas.
Question 3
Dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur. Dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas.
Question 4
Dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur. Dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas.
Have a question or comment?
Lets get in touch!
