Comic Book Values

You cannot find your comic book values without first knowing the grade of your comics. While the condition of a comic can be graded using CGC’s scale from 1 to 10 — 1 being the worst condition and 10 being the best possible condition — collectors commonly use these adjectives to describe a comic’s condition: Mint, Near Mint, Very Fine, Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair, and Poor. These are sometimes abbreviated. (See below.)

Here is a rough guide on how to evaluate the grade of a comic yourself. You should note that this is a rough guide and you shouldn’t depend on the grade you arrive at. It’s easy to overestimate the grade of a comic. If in doubt, presume your comic is graded lower. This should, however, with the Overstreet Price Guide, give you some idea of your comic book values.

Mint (MT)
A Mint comic is perfect. An incey, wincey crease turns a comic from Mint to Near Mint. The comic should lie completely flat, and there should be no creases or wear on the spine or corners. The colors should be bright like it has just been printed. The staples shouldn’t be rusted. I cannot emphasise enough that the comic should be completely flawless. I’ve heard it said that a Mint comic is an imaginary comic, and perhaps they’re right. I mention this not because I want to insult your comic collection due to jealous and bitter tendencies, but because it’s a useful point of reference to compare other grades.

Near Mint (NM)
All that is needed to turn a comic from Mint to Near Mint is to open the comic. The only difference from a Mint comic is that there can be very minor imperfections at very close inspection. There may be the smallest of creases along the spine or around the staples, but everything else must be perfect.

Very Fine and Fine (VF and FN)
A Very Fine comic may have a small amount of wear, while still being clean and glossy. It may lie almost flat rather than completely flat. There may be some minor discoloration to the pages, but nothing major. There may be one or two small creases and tears along the spine, and some very minor corner creases. This is probably the best grade an old comic book can hope for. On top of the imperfections listed above, a Fine comic may have slightly blunted corners. The spine may bend up slightly. There may be very small tears and creases on some of the pages, along with small stains.

Very Good and Good (VG and GD)
A comic of these grades won’t have major defects, but they will have defects rather than just imperfections. Although a Good comic tend to be thorougly used, they will still be completely readable. The staples may be slightly discolored and the colors may be faded. The creases on the corners will be more noticable, rather than just tiny creases. The pages may have more noticable tears, and the spine may be more bent. There may be some writing or stickers on the comic.

Fair and Poor (FR and P)
This is where comic books go when they die. That said, even comics of these grades are readable. The cover may be detached. There may be big tears and folds. Parts of the comic may be ripped or cut out. Staples may be missing. It will have major wear, discoloration, and fading. The spine may be split and taped together. It may have large stains and be brittle. You will not pass go. You will not collect $200 — well, probably not, anyway.

I should mention that if a comic is restored or repaired in any way, its value will be affected. Grading a comic is as much an art as it is a science. Even professional graders can disagree whether a comic is a 9.8 grade or a 9.6 grade, for example. This is why I’ve kept broad catagories in my guide above, rather than try to define the minute factors that can change a grade by 0.2.

If you don’t want to pay for your comic to be graded by the CGC, and you don’t want to rely on the opinion of a comic book dealer, then grading your comics yourself is the safest route. Along with my short grading guide, you can search the web for other free guides. Happy hunting!

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Ultimately, comic book values are determined by what someone will pay. Some comic collectors think that they should be able to sell their comics at the price listed in their price guide. This isn’t always the case. The value of a comic is a living, breathing thing that changes over time. The price paid will be influenced by things such the person in question — someone who is buying the only issue missing from their collection of a particular series is likely to spend much more than someone with a vague interest in the series. Perhaps the person buying is a master negotiator. That said, there are several broad factors that determine the value of comics:

Rarity
Action Comics #1 is a good example. According to Wikipedia, fewer than 100 copies are known to exist, and few of them are in good condition. In Feburary a copy in fine condition was sold for $317,200. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the 200,000 copies of the original edition were destroyed by “loving” parents doing what they do best: throwing comics in the trash. I’m not bitter.

Age
Your comic book values aren’t necessarily high just because your comics are old, even though older comics, generally speaking, tend to be more valuable. You could perhaps argue that it isn’t so much the age of a comic that makes it expensive, as the fact that older comics are rarer. I thought I’d still add this anyway.

Edition
Obviously, the original edition of a comic is worth more than a reprint.

Series
Long-running series have loyal fanbases, so that even if the story in a particular issue is a little weak, they’ll still sell. Collectors of a series will buy new issues and fill the gaps in their collection regardless. Older issues of Superman, Spider-man, and Batman, for example, will probably always be sought after, if only because they’re Superman, Spider-man, and Batman.

Condition
Comic book grading is important. Everyone wants the comics in their collection to be in mint condition. A comic that is discolored and stained, that has a detached cover and is altogether battered and bruised isn’t that appealing.

Storylines
Great stories sell comics and make them valuable. This is so obvious I feel a little silly saying it. Notable stories can be about a character’s origins, or just general major events.

Writers and Artists
Just as some people collect a specific series, some people collect the works of their favorite writers. This is also related to storylines, as great writers write great stories. If the artwork was done by a famous artist, that can also affect the comic book’s price.

Characters
The characters that appear in an issue affect its value, particularly first appearances and guest apperances.

The Overstreet Price Guide is a great tool to work out your comic book values. It has a comprehensive list of comics, giving guide prices depending on their condition. It also lists things that affect a comics value, like the things I’ve listed above. There are also great articles, such as expert’s opinions on comic collecting, and pictures.

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