To Grade Or Not To Grade?
I get told all the time “I’m thinking of grading my comics” or “they are perfect, they are in bags and boarded!”
Ah, if only it were that simple! I’m a registered CGC dealer, as such I get a discount to grade books and clients can submit their comics through me direct to CGC. That part is simple. The hard part is figuring out when its actually worth the time and effort and MONEY to grade any given comic.
No Brainers
Some comics are what I call “no-brainers” these are iconic comics, key issues that basically you grade no matter what, comics like Detective Comics #27 (first Batman), Superman #1, or Amazing Fantasy #15 (first Spider-Man). These comics are so expensive that in order to figure out their literal value we need to know what they will precisely grade out at, because every bump up or down in grade counts dramatically.
But, most comics don’t fall into that category, and that is the tricky part, because the first thing we need to do is grade our own comics. It’s human nature to overgrade our own collection. Ever hear the term “a face only a mother can love.” Well, pretend comics are your children, more than likely you’re going to overlook that little, tiny corner crease, or that ever so barely noticeable spine tick or two of them! What about the fact your pages are tanning slightly, or there’s some ever so slight chipping? While it’s easy for you to overlook or forgive these seemingly minor defects, CGC or another grading company isn’t likely to be so forgiving, they are paid to FIND defects. You’re trying to overlook or talk yourself out of them! HUGE difference in mindset! Just because a comic is bought right off the shelf at a store doesn’t guarantee it’s even perfect!
Cost of Grading
We have to weigh the cost of grading, the time waiting for you to get your comics back from CGC, and whether or not it will enhance the value of your comic. It’s not easy to do, but while there are some cases it for sure pays to grade, in the vast majority of cases it doesn’t pay, at best it’s a lateral move, and at worst you’re just throwing your money away and waiting 6 – 9 months to get the bad news!
IF you can be objective with your own comics, and IF you then can see real sold prices that show you that by grading your comic it will greatly enhance the value if it grades a couple grades BELOW what your expectations are, then and only then would I recommend you grade it.
It ain’t simple! I can help walk you through the process and even submit comics if you’d like for you in some cases!
About Comic Book Trading
My partners (Jeff Weisenberg and Mike Parness) and I have been buying comic and card collections for a combined 100+ years. Over those years, we’ve bought some very large and complex collections worth many millions. We can help you maximize the value of your collection. In some cases, that means getting your high dollar value comics graded before you sell them.
We are different from many other dealers because of our capital base. We don’t need to sell a collection at a discount in order to get the money to buy another collection. We sell comics at retail prices. We never flip a collection to another dealer. Almost 100% of our buyers are collectors. That allows us to pay more for collections. It is very rare that another dealer will outbid us, but we encourage you to get multiple offers. Competition keeps us sharp.
If you have a large, valuable collection, we can come to you. We can wire money to your account or bring you a certified check. If you have cases of comics, we’ll bring a truck and do all the loading.
We’ve bought collections from many large collectors and dealers. To my knowledge, all have become satisfied customers. Referrals are a good part of our business and we work hard to keep them coming.
We have locations in NY/NJ, MA and FL. My partner, Mike, travels all over the US for large deals.
Please note, at this time, we are only buying large collections.
We look forward to working with you.
Doug Koval
Comic Book Trader