Professional grading (sending a comic to a company that scores its condition and seals it in a plastic case) sits at the crossroads of collecting and commerce. For the right book it can multiply value and make selling easy; for the wrong book it's an expensive way to make a comic unreadable. What follows is how it works and what to consider when making a decision to grade:
The 10-point scale
The industry standard is a 10-point scale running from 0.5 to 10, with 25 named grades along the way. The landmarks, per CGC's published scale:
- 10.0 Gem Mint: essentially flawless.
- 9.8 Near Mint/Mint: the standard high grade for modern books; nearly perfect with negligible defects.
- 9.4 Near Mint: a beautiful copy with minor wear that only a grader would stress.
- 8.0 Very Fine: an attractive, clearly cared-for book with minor accumulated wear.
- 6.0 Fine: a solid, complete, obviously-read copy.
- 4.0 Very Good: a well-read book with creases, wear, maybe small stress marks.
- 2.0 Good: rough but complete. For rare Golden/Silver Age keys, still very collectible.
- 0.5 Poor: held together by hope. Still worth grading if the book is rare enough.
The grade prices the book. On a valuable issue, each step up the scale can mean a serious jump in market value, which is the financial reason to grade.
Who grades, and what the label colors mean
The two major companies are CGC (the market leader by a wide margin) and CBCS. Both grade on the same 10-point scale. The label color on the case tells you what you're looking at. CGC's system:
- Blue (Universal): a standard, unrestored book graded as-is. The default.
- Yellow (Signature Series): signed, with the signing witnessed by an authorized rep, so the autograph is certified genuine.
- Green (Qualified): graded with a significant noted defect (e.g., a missing coupon, bad margins/cutoffs, or unwitnessed writing) that's called out on the label.
- Purple (Restored): the book has been professionally repaired (color touch, tear seals, etc.). Restoration usually lowers value versus an unrestored copy at the same grade, which is why the purple label exists.
CBCS uses a similar scheme: blue for standard books, yellow for signature books (both witnessed "Authentic" and after-the-fact "Verified" signatures, distinguished by the label text).
The process (and what "pressing" is)
You submit the raw book (directly or through a shop/con), and it goes through receiving, then grading (multiple graders assess each book and reach consensus on the final grade), then encapsulation, where the comic is sonically sealed with its label in an archival plastic holder (the "slab"), and quality control before shipping home.
Pressing is an optional pre-grading service: a professional process that can reduce certain non-damage defects (bends, spine rolls, warping), often raising the eventual grade. It's standard practice on higher-value submissions, adds its own fee and turnaround time, and is worth it mainly when a bump (say 9.2 to 9.6) means real money on that particular book.
What it costs (current published rates)
As of CGC's January 2026 pricing: modern-era books start around $27–30 per book (bulk vs. standard), vintage books around $42–45, with turnarounds measured in weeks (realistically months). Higher-value books cost more to grade: around $105 for books valued to $1,000, and a percentage of value above that. Pressing adds roughly $10–30 for most books. Add shipping both ways (insured, both directions) and handling fees, and a realistic all-in cost for grading one ordinary modern comic lands somewhere around $40–60. CGC membership itself now has a free tier, so that's no longer a barrier. CBCS runs comparable, often slightly cheaper (roughly $22–30 for modern books per recent dealer-published rates; check their site for current numbers, as pricing moves).
The math: when to grade
Grade when: the book's value clearly exceeds the all-in cost several times over, you're selling a key issue where certification meaningfully raises the price and buyer trust; you want a witnessed signature certified; or a book means enough to you that museum-casing it is the point.
Don't grade when: the book is worth $20 and grading costs $50 (this math never improves); you plan to read it (slabs are sealed; cracking one open voids the grade); or you're hoping certification itself creates value. It doesn't; it certifies the value a book already has. A slabbed common comic is a $15 book in a $30 case.
Not sure whether your book is worth submitting? Bring it in. We'll take a look and give you our best advice.
Related reading: protecting raw books, whether comics are an investment at all, and buying and selling. Hunt your next key in our back issues, or see what we've slabbed and listed in our eBay store. Or just walk in and ask us.
