Comic Book Grading & Abbreviations

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Comic Book Grading & Abbreviations The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide Nearly perfect with only very minor imperfections allowed.This grade should have no corner or impact creases, stress marks should be almost invisible, and bindery tears must be less than 1/16 inch.  A couple of very tiny color flecks, or a combination of the above that keeps the book from being perfect, where the overall eye appeal is less than Mint drops the book into this grade.  Only the most subtle binding and/or printing defects allowed. Cover is flat with no surface wear.  Cover inks are bright with high reflectivity and minimum of fading.  Corners are cut square and sharp with ever so slight blunting permitted.  Staples are generally centered, clean with no rust.  Cover is well centered and firmly secured to interior pages.  Paper is supple and like new.  Spine is tight and flat.

The grading definitions listed in The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, by Robert M. Overstreet, are standard for the comic book industry as a whole.

The condition of a comic book is subjective. For your convenience, we have provided a list of the industry's standard grading abbreviations, as they are listed in The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide as well as a list of commonly used defect abbreviations, many of which were taken from Collector's Guide To Comic Books, by John Hegenberger. We have also added a scarcity index. What is the difference between a rare comic book and a scarce comic book? According to the The Photojournal Guide to Comic Books, by Ernst and Mary Gerber,  the difference is strictly numerical and  is indicated .

Condition guidelines

MINT(M):  Near perfect in every way.  Only the most subtle bindery or printing defects are allowed.  Cover is flat with no surface wear.  Cover inks are bright with high reflectivity and minimal fading.  Corners are cut square and sharp.  Staples are generally centered, clean with no rust. Cover is generally well centered and firmlly secured to interior pages. Paper is supple and fresh.  Spine is tight and flat.

NEAR MINT (NM):  Nearly perfect with only very minor imperfections allowed.This grade should have no corner or impact creases, stress marks should be almost invisible, and bindery tears must be less than 1/16 inch.  A couple of very tiny color flecks, or a combination of the above that keeps the book from being perfect, where the overall eye appeal is less than Mint drops the book into this grade.  Only the most subtle binding and/or printing defects allowed. Cover is flat with no surface wear.  Cover inks are bright with high reflectivity and minimum of fading.  Corners are cut square and sharp with ever so slight blunting permitted.  Staples are generally centered, clean with no rust.  Cover is well centered and firmly secured to interior pages.  Paper is supple and like new.  Spine is tight and flat.

NM+ = the high end of NM
NM- = the low end of NM

VFNM: Between Very Fine and Near Mint condition.

VERY FINE (VF):  An excellent copy with outstanding eye appeal. Sharp, bright and clean with supple pages. Cover is relatively flat with almost no surface or edge wear. Cover inks are generally bright with moderate to high reflectivity. Staples should show almost no discoloration. Spine may have a couple of almost insignificant transverse stress lines. and is almost completely flat. An almost unnoticeable 1/4 inch crease is acceptable, if color is not broken. Pages and covers can be yellowish/tannish (at least, but not brown and will usually be off-white to white.)

VF+ = the high end of VF
VF-- = the low end of VF

FVF: Between Fine and Very Fine condition.

FINE (FN or F): An exceptional, above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with no creasing or other serious defects. Eye appeal is somewhat reduced because of slight surface wear and possibly a very small defect such as a few very slight cross stress marks on spine. A Fine condition comic book appears to have been read a few times and has been handled with moderate care. Compared to a VF, cover inks are beginning to show a significant reduction in reflectivity but is still a highly collectible and desirable book.

FN+ = the high end of FN
FN- = the low end of FN

VGF: Between Very Good and Fine condition.

VERY GOOD (VG): The average used comic book. A comic in this grade shows some wear, can have a reading or center crease or a rolled spine, but has not accumulated enough total defects to reduce eye appeal to the point that it is not a desirable copy. Some discoloration, fading and even minor soiling is allowed. As much as a 1/4" triangle can be missing out of the corner or edge. Missing a square piece (1/8" by 1/8") is also acceptable. Store stamps, name stamps, arrival dates, initials, etc. have no effect on this grade. Cover and interior pages can have one or two minor tears and folds and the centerfold may be loose or detached. One staple can be loose, but the cover is not completely detached. common bindary and printing defects do not effect grade. Pages of inside covers can be brown but not brittle. Tape should never be used for comic book repair, however, many VG condition comics have minor tape repair.

VG+ = the high end of VG
VG- = the low end of VG

GVG: Between Good and Very Good condition.

GOOD (GD): A copy in this grade has all pages and covers, although there may be small pieces missing inside; the largest piece allowed from front or back cover is a 1/2" triangle or square 1/4" by 1/4". Books in this grade are commonly creased, scuffed, abraded and soiled, but completely readable. Often paper quality is low but not brittle. Cover reflectivity is low and in some cases completely absent. Most collectors consider this the lowest collectible grade because comics books in lesser condition are usually incomplete and/or brittle. This grade can have a moderated accumulation of defects but still maintains its basic structural integrity.

GD+ = the high end of NM
GD- = the low end of NM

FRG: - Between Fair and Good condition.

FAIR (FR): A copy in this grade has all pages and most of the covers, centerfold may be missing, if it does not affect the story, but price should be reduced; is soiled, ragged and unattractive. Creases and folds are prevalent and paper quality may be moderately low. Spine may be split up to 2/3 its entire length. Staples may be gone, and/or cover split up to 2/3 its length. Corners are commonly slightly rounded. If coupons are cut from front cover and/or back cover and/or interior pages, the book will fall into this grade. Up to 1/12 of front cover may be missing. These books are mostly readable although soiling, staining, tears, markings or chunks missing may interfere with reading the comoplete story. Very often paper quality is moderately low and may have slight brittleness around the edges but not in the central portion of the pages.

FR+ = the high end of NM
FR- = the low end of NM

PRFR or FRPR: Between Poor and Fair condition.

POOR (PR): Most comic books in this grade have been sufficiently degraded to the point that there is no longer any collector value. Copies in this grade typically have pages and/or approximately 1/3 or more of the front cover missing. They may have extremely severe stains, mildew or heavy cover abrasion to the point that cover inks are indistinct/absent. They may have been defaced with paints, varnishes, glues, oil, indelible markers or dyes. Other defects often include severe rips, tears folding and creasing. Another common defect in this grade is moderated to severe brittleness, often to the point that the comic book literally "falls apart" when examined.

PR+ = the high end of NM
PR- = the low end of NM

Page Quality

OWL stands for "Overstreet Whiteness Level". Although far from perfect, it is the current standard used to define paper quality in the industry. The most desirable state of paper preservation is an OWL 10 -- this means that the pages are white. "Off-white" pages range from OWL 8-9, with 9 being white to off-white and 8 being off-white to beige. "Tan" pages range from OWL 5-7. The average whiteness level of comic books is a 5. Brown pages range from OWL 1-4 and brittle pages are assigned an OWL of 0. You can find out more about the OWL by referring to the Overstreet Grading Guide or an OWL Card -- see pg. A-10 of the Overstreet Price Guide for details on how to obtain an OWL Card..

bbreviations:

BC = Back Cover

BR = Brittle or Brown

C = Coverless

CC = Coupon Clipped

CF = Centerfold (the center pages of a comic)

CFL = Centerfold loose

CFO = Centerfold out (center pages are missing)

CHP = Chip (small piece missing)

CL = Cover loose

COV = Cover

C/P = Cleaned and Pressed

CR = Crease, or cover

C/T = Color Touch

DBL = Double

EXR = Extensive Restoration

FC = Front Cover

LCF = Loose Centerfold

LT = Light

LTR = Light Restoration

MOD R = Moderate Restoration

MR = Minor Restoration

NG = No Glasses

NBC = No back cover

NOC = Name on Cover

O/W = otherwise

PC = Piece

PG = Page

PY = Pages yellow

R = Restored

RB = Rat-bitten

RRB = Really rat-bitten

RS = Rolled Spine

SC = Subscription crease

SLT = Slight

SP = Spine

SS = Store Stamp

SM = Small

SPS = Spine Split

T = Tape

T/E = Tan Edge

TP = Tape

TR = Tear

TS = Tape on spine

TP = Tape repair

TR = Tear

W = Writing

WC = White Cover

WD = Water damage

WP = White Pages

WS = Water stain

WOC = Writing on cover

Y = Yellowing

Gerber Scarcity Index:

G5 = Gerber 5 = less than average in existence.

G6 = Gerber 6 = Uncommon = between 50 and 200 still in existence.

G7 = Gerber 7 = Scarce = between 21 and 50 still in existence.

G8 = Gerber 8 = Rare = between 11 and 20 in existence

G9 = Gerber 9 = Very Rare = between 6 and 10 in existence.

G10 = Gerber 10 = Unique = less than 5 known copies in existence.