Superman #317 - 1977

Original First Print

I bought this new back in the day when it came out. It has been read once and then bagged and stored away for the last 43 years.

Condition: Very Fine Plus. 

The photos above are of the actual item not stock photos.

The Overstreet Grading Scale

10.0 Gem Mint (GM): An exceptional example of a given book – the best ever seen. Only the slightest bindery or printing defects are allowed. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Inks are bright with high reflectivity. Corners are cut square and sharp. Spine is tight and flat. Staples must be original, centered and clean with no rust. Paper is white, supple and fresh. No interior autographs or owner signatures.

9.9 Mint (MT): Near perfect in every way. Only subtle bindery or printing defects are allowed. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Inks are bright with high reflectivity and minimal fading. Corners are cut square and sharp. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as they are in a unobtrusive location. Spine is tight and flat. Staples must be original, generally centered and clean with no rust. Paper is white, supple and fresh.

9.8 Near Mint/Mint (NM/MT): Near perfect in every way with only minor imperfections that keep it from the next higher grade. Only subtle bindery or printing defects are allowed. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Inks are bright with high reflectivity and minimal fading. Corners are cut square and sharp. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as they are in a unobtrusive location. Spine is tight and flat. Staples must be original, generally centered and clean with no rust. Paper is white, supple and fresh. Only the slightest interior tears are allowed.

9.6 Near Mint + (NM+): Near perfect with a minor additional virtue or virtues that raise it from Near Mint. Only subtle bindery or printing defects are allowed. No bindery tears are allowed, although on Golden age books bindery tears of up to 1/8” have been noted. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Inks are bright with high reflectivity and minimal fading. One corner may almost imperceptibly blunted, but still almost sharp and cut square. Almost imperceptible indentations are permissible, but no creases, bends or colour break. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as they are in a unobtrusive location. Spine is tight and flat. Staples must be original, generally centered, with only the slightest discolouration. Paper is off-white, supple and fresh. Only the slightest interior tears are allowed.

9.4 Near Mint (NM): Near perfect with only minor imperfections that keep it from the next higher grade. Subtle bindery/printing defects are allowed. Bindery tears must be less than 1/16” on Silver Age and later books, although on Golden Age books bindery tears of up to ¼” have been noted. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Inks are bright with high reflectivity and a minimum of fading. Corners are cut square and sharp with ever-so-slight blunting permitted. A 1/16” bend is permitted with no colour break. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as they are in an unobtrusive location. Slight foxing. Spine is tight and flat. Staples are generally centered; may have some discolouration. Almost no stress lines. Paper is off-white to cream, supple and fresh. Slight interior tears are allowed.

9.2 Near Mint- (NM-): Nearly perfect with only minor additional defect or defects that keep it from Near Mint. A limited number of minor bindery/printing defects are allowed. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Inks are bright with only the slightest dimming of reflectivity. Corners are cut square and sharp with ever-so-slight blunting permitted. A 1/16”-1/8” bend is permitted with no colour break. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as they are in an unobtrusive location. Slight foxing. Spine is tight and flat. Staples may show some discolouration. Almost no stress lines. Paper is off-white to cream, supple and fresh. Slight interior tears are allowed.

9.0 Very Fine/Near Mint (VF/NM): Nearly perfect with outstanding eye appeal. A limited number of minor bindery/printing defects are allowed. Cover is almost flat with almost imperceptible wear. Inks are bright with slightly diminished reflectivity. An 1/8” bend is allowed if the colour is unbroken. Corners are cut square and sharp with ever-so-slight blunting permitted but no creases. Several lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable. Very minor foxing. Spine is tight and flat. Staples may show some discolouration. Only the slightest staple tears are allowed. A very minor accumulation of stress lines may be present if they are nearly imperceptible. Paper is off-white to cream and supple. Very minor interior tears may be present.

8.5 Very Fine + (VF+): Fits the criteria for Very Fine but with an additional virtue or small accumulation of virtues that improve the book’s appearance by a perceptible amount.

8.0 Very Fine (VF): An excellent copy with outstanding eye appeal. A limited number of minor bindery/printing defects are allowed. Cover is relatively flat with minimal surface wear beginning to show, possibly including some minute wear at the corners. Inks are generally bright with moderate to high reflectivity. An unnoticeable ¼” crease is acceptable if colour not broken. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. Minor foxing. Spine is almost completely flat with a possible minor colour break. Staples may show some discolouration. Very slight staple tears and a few almost insignificant stress lines may be present. Paper is cream to tan and supple. Centerfold is mostly secure. Minor interior tears at the margin maybe present.

7.5 Very Fine – (VF-): Fits the criteria for Very Fine but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book’s appearance by a perceptible amount.

7.0 Fine/Very Fine (FN/VF): An above average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with outstanding eye appeal. A small accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor cover wear beginning to show, possibly including minor creases. Corners may be blunted. Inks are generally bright with moderate reduction in reflectivity. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. Minor foxing. The slightest spine roll may be present, as well as a moderate colour break. Staples may show some discolouration. Very slight staple tears and a few almost insignificant stress lines may be present. Slight rust migration. Paper is cream to tan. Centerfold is mostly secure. Minor interior tears at the margin maybe present.

6.5 Fine + (FN+): Fits the criteria for Fine but with an additional virtue or small accumulation of virtues that improve the book’s appearance by a perceptible amount.

6.0 Fine (FN): An above average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with no significant creasing or other serious defects. Some minor accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases. Inks show a significant reduction in reflectivity. Blunted corner are more common as is minor staining, soiling, discolouration and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor spine roll is allowed. There can be also a ¼” spine split or severe colour break. Staples may show some minor discolouration. Minor staples tears and a few stress lines may be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown and fairly supple with no signs of brittleness. Minor interior tears at the margin maybe present. Centrefold may be loose.

5.5 Fine – (FN-): Fits the criteria for Fine but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book’s appearance by a perceptible amount.

5.0 Very Good/Fine (VG/FN): An above average but well used comic book. An accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor to moderate cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases and/or dimples. Inks have moderate to low reflectivity. Blunted corner are increasingly common as is minor to moderate staining, discolouration and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor to moderate spine roll is allowed. A spine split of up to ½” may be present. Staples may show some minor discolouration. Minor staples tears and minor stress lines may be present, as well as minor rust migration. . Paper is tan to brown with no signs of brittleness. Centrefold may be loose. Minor interior tears may also be present.

4.5 Very Good + (VG+): Fits the criteria for Very Good but with an additional virtue or small accumulation of virtues that improve the book’s appearance by a perceptible amount.

4.0 Very Good (VG): The average used comic book. Cover shows moderate to significant wear, and maybe loose but not completely detached. Cover reflectivity is low. Can have moderate creases or dimples. Corners may be blunted. Store stamps, name stamps, arrival dates, initials, etc have no effect on this grade. Some discolouration, fading, foxing, and even minor soiling is allowed. As much as a1/4” triangle can be missing out of the corner or edge; a missing 1/8” square is also acceptable. Only minor unobtrusive tape and other amateur repair allowed on otherwise high grade copies. Moderate spine roll may be present and/or a 1” spine split. Staples may be discoloured. Minor to moderate staples tears and minor stress lines may be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is brown but not brittle. Minor to moderate interior tears may also be present. Centrefold may be loose or detached at one staple.

3.5 Very Good –(VG-): Fits the criteria for Very Good but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book’s appearance by a perceptible amount.

3.0 Good/Very Good (GD/VG): A used comic book showing some substantial wear. Cover shows significant wear, and may be loose or even detached at one staple. Cover reflectivity is very low. Can have a book length-crease and/or dimples. Corners may be blunted or even rounded. Discolouration, fading, foxing, and even minor to moderate soiling is allowed. A triangle from ¼” to ½” can be missing out of the corner or edge; a missing 1/8” to ¼” square is also acceptable. Tape and other amateur repair may also be present. Moderate spine roll likely. May have a spine split of anywhere from 1” to 1-1/2”. Staples may be rusted or replaced. Minor to moderate staple tears and moderate stress lines may be present, as well as some rust migration. Paper is brown but not brittle. Centrefold may be loose or detached at one staple. Minor to moderate interior tears may be present.

2.5 Good+ (GD+): Fits the criteria for Good but with an additional virtue or small accumulation of virtues that improve the book’s appearance by a perceptible amount.

2.0 Good (GD): Shows substantial wear; often considered a “reading copy”. Cover shows significant wear and may even be detached. Cover reflectivity is low and in some cases completely absent. Rounded corners are more common. Moderate soiling, staining, and foxing may be present. The largest piece allowed missing from the front or back cover is usually a ½” triangle or a ¼” square, although some silver age books such as 1960s Marvels have had the price corner box clipped from the top left front cover and may be considered Good if they would otherwise have graded higher. Tape and other forms of amateur repair are common in Silver Age and older books. Spine roll is likely. May be up to a 2” spine split. Staples may be degraded, replaced or missing. Moderate staple tears and stress lines may be present, as well as rust migration. Paper is brown but not brittle. Centrefold may be loose or detached. Moderate interior tears may be present.

1.8 Good- (GD-): Fits the criteria for Good but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book’s appearance by a perceptible amount.

1.5 Fair/Good (FR/GD): Show substantial to heavy wear. Books in this grade are commonly creased, scuffed, abraded, soiled and possibly unattractive, but still generally readable. Cover shows considerable wear and may be detached. Almost no cover reflectivity remaining. Book-length creases, tears and folds may be present. Rounded corners are increasingly common. Soiling, staining, discolouration and foxing is generally present. Up to 1/10 of the back cover may be missing. Tape and other forms of amateur repair are increasingly common in Silver Age and older books. May have a spine split between 2” and 2/3 the length of the book. Staples may be degraded, replaced or missing. Staple tears and stress lines are common, as well as rust migration. Paper is brown and may show brittleness around the edges. Acidic odor may be present. Centrefold may be loose or detached. Interior tears are common.

1.0 Fair (FR): Shows heavy wear. Some collectors consider this the lowest collectible grade because comic books in lesser condition are usually incomplete and/or brittle. Cover may be detached, and inks have lost all reflectivity. Creases, tears and/or folds are prevalent. Corners are completely rounded or absent. Soiling and staining is present. Books in this condition generally have all pages and most of the covers, although there may be up to ¼ of the front cover missing or no back cover, but not both. Tape and other forms of amateur repair are more common. Spine roll is more common; spine split can extent up to 2/3 the length of the book. Staples may be missing and show rust and discolouration. An accumulation of staple tears and stress lines may be present, as well as rust migration. Paper is brown and may show brittleness around the edges but not in the central portion of the pages. Chunks may be missing. The centrefold may be missing if readability is generally preserved. Coupons may be cut.

0.5 Poor (PR): Sufficiently degraded to the point where there is little or no collector value; easily identifiable by the complete absence of eye appeal. Brittle to the point of turning to dust with a touch, and usually incomplete. Extreme fading may render the cover almost indiscernible. May have extremely severe stains, mildew or heavy cover abrasion to the point that some cover inks are indistinct/absent. Covers may be detached with large chunks missing. Can have extremely ragged edges.