Comic book collecting has been popular since the 1960's, and today it can actually be a big business.
If you're the owner of some key issues, including first appearances of comic book characters, or first issues of a popular and enduring series, you could make some good money selling them.
The thing is, the comics have to be in really good condition.
Collectors are very picky about how a book looks before they just hand over the cash.
Comics are typically graded on a scale of "Near Mint", "Fine", "Good","Fair", and "Poor".
The difference between a high end book considered fine and a book in poor condition could be thousands of dollars.
Learning how to properly grade comics can take years of practice and learning, and it can be a bit subjective.
A master grader will be able to easily determine the condition of a book that's 40 years old as well as they can identify the quality of a new release.
These tips will help you figure out if your book is in the best condition possible, what's called "Near-Mint":
If you have trouble grading a book that you believe may be very valuable, there are collector's societies that will grade the books for you, seal the book in a cover, and issue a certificate that will show it's condition on a 10 point scale.
Very few books achieve the 10 point mark and even books hot off the press only get graded as high as 9.
8.
The name of the most popular such company is the CGC, the Certified Guaranty Company.
Using these tips, you'll be on your way to making sure your best books really are worth what the guides say they are.
If you're the owner of some key issues, including first appearances of comic book characters, or first issues of a popular and enduring series, you could make some good money selling them.
The thing is, the comics have to be in really good condition.
Collectors are very picky about how a book looks before they just hand over the cash.
Comics are typically graded on a scale of "Near Mint", "Fine", "Good","Fair", and "Poor".
The difference between a high end book considered fine and a book in poor condition could be thousands of dollars.
Learning how to properly grade comics can take years of practice and learning, and it can be a bit subjective.
A master grader will be able to easily determine the condition of a book that's 40 years old as well as they can identify the quality of a new release.
These tips will help you figure out if your book is in the best condition possible, what's called "Near-Mint":
- Check the spine for stress marks.
If a book is bent on the spine, very small lines may appear a long the edge.
A comic folded in half will never achieve the status of being near-mint! - Look all four corners on both sides of the comic.
Are they sharp and straight? If so, you're golden.
A book that's been dropped or has corners torn, no matter how slight, are quickly devalued.
- Inspect the staples to make sure they are there, solidly attached, and check for rust.
- Gently go through the book and look for missing panels or pages.
- Check for any writing or stains on the cover or inside pages
- Look at the color and consistency of the paper.
It should be nice and white or off white.
Yellowing and brittle pages will bring down the value.
If you have trouble grading a book that you believe may be very valuable, there are collector's societies that will grade the books for you, seal the book in a cover, and issue a certificate that will show it's condition on a 10 point scale.
Very few books achieve the 10 point mark and even books hot off the press only get graded as high as 9.
8.
The name of the most popular such company is the CGC, the Certified Guaranty Company.
Using these tips, you'll be on your way to making sure your best books really are worth what the guides say they are.
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