Comic Book Grading

Grading Our Items

For the purposes of grading, we have used the industry standard grading system established by the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide and their Poor - Mint scale. Whilst we acknowledge that slabbing and professional grading of comics by companies such as CGC and CBCS is on the rise and they use a numerical scale (0.5-10), all comics sold at The Unreality Store are raw, unslabbed, editions and therefore we have elected to use the Overstreet text scale. For continuity and consistency we have also applied this scale to all other appropriate items in the store such as Role Playing Games, Magazines and Books. In brief below are the parameters for grading as established by the Overstreet Guide.

10.0 GEM MINT (GM) - an exceptional of a given book. The overall look is as if it’s never been handled or released for purchase

9.9 MINT (MT) - near perfect in every way. Only subtle bindery or printing defects are allowed

9.8 NEAR MINT/MINT (NM/MT) - nearly perfect in every way with only minor imperfections that keep it from attaining a MT grading

9.6 NEAR MINT+ (NM+) Nearly perfect, the overall look is that it ‘has just been purchased and read once or twice’

9.4 NEAR MINT (NM) Nearly perfect with minor imperfections. The overall look is that it ‘has just been purchased and read once or twice’. Subtle bindery defects are allowed as are small bindery tears of less than 1/16” on Silver Age and later books

9.2 NEAR MINT- (NM-) Nearly perfect but a limited number of bindery defects are allowed as is a light barely noticeable water stain or minor foxing that does not distract from the overall beauty of the book

8.0 VERY FINE (VFN) An excellent copy with outstanding eye appeal. Sharp, bright and clean with supple pages. A limited accumulation of minor bindery defects is allowed. The cover is relatively flat with minimal surface wear beginning to show and possibly some minute wear at the corners

7.5 VERY FINE - (VFN-) Fits the criteria for a VFN book but with an additional defect

6.5 FINE + (FN+) Fits the criteria for a FN book but with a small accumulation of virtues that improves the books appearance

6.0 FINE (FN) An above average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with no significant creasing or other serious defects. There may be some slight surface wear and accumulation of small defects, especially on the spine and edges. A FINE condition comic book appears to have been read a few times and handled with moderate care

5.5 FINE - (FN-) Fits the criteria for a FN book but with an additional defect

4.5 VERY GOOD+ (VG+) Fits the criteria for a VG book but with a small accumulation of virtues that improves the books appearance

4.0 VERY GOOD (VG) The average used comic book. A comic in this grade shows some significant moderate wear but still has not accumulated enough total defects to reduce eye appeal to the point that it is not a desirable copy. Cover shows moderate to significant wear and may be loose but not detached. Corner may be blunted or abraded. Some discoloration, fading, foxing and even minor soiling is allowed.

3.5 VERY GOOD- (VG-) Fits the criteria for a VG book but with an additional defect

2.5 GOOD+ (GD+) Fits the criteria for a GD book but with a small accumulation of virtues that improves the books appearance

2.0 GOOD (GD) Shows substantial wear, often consider a ‘reading copy’. Cover shows significant wear and may even be detached. Book-length creases and dimples may be present. Rounded corners are more common. Moderate soiling, staining, discolouration and foxing may be present. Tape and other forms of repair are common in Silver Age and older books

1.8 GOOD- (GD-) Fits the criteria for a GD book but with an additional defect

1.0 FAIR (FR) A comic in this grade shows heavy wear. Some collectors consider this to be the lowest collectible grade. Comics in this grade are usually soiled, faded ragged and possibly unattractive. The cover may be detached. Creases, tears and folds are prevalent. Spine roll is common and spine split can extend up to 2/3 of the spine. Staples may be missing or show rust and discolouration. Paper is brown and shows brittleness around the edges

0.5 POOR (PR) Most comic books in this grade have been sufficiently degraded to the point where there is little or no collector value.

Source: The above information has been taken from The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #49 dated 2019-2020 and has been used for informational purposes only. Overstreet is a Registered Trademark of Gemstone Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.