Our grading standards are based on the standards laid out in the Overstreet Grading Guide. However, grading is an inherently subjective process and there will always be small differences in opinion.
Comics listed for sale are listed with one two types of grades:
We use the basic grading scale for most of our single comics priced up to about $15. We use the ten-point scale to grade most individual comics valued $15.00 or more and those.
A comic that has not been slabbed is sometimes referred to as a "raw" comic, which means a regular comic not encased in a plastic slab. (Graded)
Very few comics are returned due to grading discrepancies, but should you receive a comic that you believe is not properly graded, please contact us from the eBay Message Center & We will gladly work out a solution that meets your needs and concerns. Please note that unauthorized returns are returned at the sender's own expense.
When reviewing the possible defects a comic may have as shown below for the various grades, please keep in mind that while a single defect may not reduce a comic's grade, that defect if repeated and/or combined with other accumulated defects, may push the grade down by one or more grades.
| Near Mint/Mint | NM/M | 9.8 |
| Near Mint+ | NM+ | 9.6 |
| Near Mint | NM | 9.4 |
| Near Mint- | NM- | 9.2 |
A nearly perfect copy that looks brand new with only a few very minor defects. Acceptable minor defects on a NM copy include: A very small amount of spine stresses without color breaks, very minor instances of denting (two or three at most), slight corner blunting, and minor (less than 1/8") bends without color breaks.
On the ten-point grading scale, a lower grade like 9.2 will allow these defects in a greater quantity and degree than a higher grade like 9.8, which sometimes may have no discernible defects at all. We do not assign the grades 9.9 and 10.0 to any unslabbed "raw" comics. You will only see these ultra-high grades on comics slabbed by one of the grading services. There is such a small degree of separation between the grades 9.8, 9.9, and 10.0 that even the most experienced comic graders may disagree on which of these three grades to assign to an apparently flawless comic, so the highest grade we will assign to a comic is 9.8.
In some cases it is possible for a comic shipped brand new from the publisher, or purchased new from a comic store's shelves, to already be in less than near mint condition due to the way the comic was produced, shipped, stored, or handled prior to purchase.
| Very Fine/Near Mint | VF/NM | 9.0 |
| Very Fine+ | VF+ | 8.5 |
| Very Fine | VF | 8.0 |
| Very Fine- | VF- | 7.5 |
A VF copy has minor defects, but is in overall excellent condition. Most well-kept modern comics (especially if they have been read) fall into this grade. Acceptable defects on a VF are minor and include: Minor corner wear, a light accumulation of spine stress that may include color-break, a light accumulation of dents, and bends or folds less than 1/4" (note that on a VF copy, some color-break is allowed in a bend/fold).
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. (Not with most grading services though, perfect means perfect.) 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. Personal note: Many modern comics (1990s-up, and some earlier special issues) are printed edge-to-edge with color or images, so they aren't on white pages to begin with, and there's no white borders. So fading is about the only way to tell degradation. But they will still get a 'white pages' notation on the pro-graded labels.
9.9 MINT (MT): Near perfect in every way. Only subtle bindery or printing defects are allowed. ("Subtle" as in nearly invisible, and grading companies may not allow it for their 9.9 either.) 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 an unobtrusive location. Spine is tight and flat. Staples must be original, generally centered and clean with no rust. Paper is white, supple and fresh. Personal note: Back cover stamps/writing is less 'offensive' to most collectors, but most collectors don't like them on the front, so comics with front cover stamps/writing usually fetch lower prices for the same grade, and many dealers will downgrade a bit for such stamps/writing. To me, this applies to most grades of 9.2 or above, others may consider a wider or smaller range.
9.8 NEAR MINT/MINT (NM/MT): Nearly 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 an 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+): Nearly 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 a minimum of fading. One corner may be almost imperceptibly blunted, but still almost sharp and cut square. Almost imperceptible indentations are permissible, but no creases, bends, or color breaks. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as they are in an unobtrusive location. Spine is tight and flat. Staples must be original, generally centered, with only the slightest discoloration. Paper is (no worse than) off-white, supple and fresh. Only the slightest interior tears are allowed.
9.4 NEAR MINT (NM): Nearly perfect with only minor imperfections that keep it from the next higher grade. Minor feathering that does not detract from the overall beauty of an otherwise higher grade copy is acceptable for this grade. The overall look is "as if it was just purchased and read once or twice." (If you're careful with handling, there's no way to tell how many times a comic has been read, or if unread, so don't always believe that 'unread' hype.) 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 1/4" have been noted. Cover is flat with (almost) no surface wear. Inks are bright with high reflectivity and a minimum of fading. Generally well centered and firmly secured to interior pages. Corners are cut square and sharp with ever-so-slight blunting permitted. A 1/16" bend is permitted with no color break. No creases. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as they are in an unobtrusive location. No soiling, staining or other discoloration apart from some slight foxing. Spine is tight and flat. No spine roll or split allowed. Staples are generally centered; may have slight discoloration. No staple tears are allowed; almost no stress lines. No rust migration. In rare cases, a comic was not stapled at the bindery and therefore has a missing staple; this is not considered a defect. Any staple can be replaced on books up to Fine, but only vintage staples can be used on books from Very Fine to Near Mint. Mint books must have original staples. Paper is (no worse than) off-white to cream, supple and fresh. No hint of acidity in the odor of the newsprint. Centerfold is firmly secure. Slight interior tears are allowed. Personal note: Most people will allow very minor surface 'wear' in the form of little 'shelf-wear' scuffs, and there's plenty of 9.4 graded comics with very minor surface wear. Goes for 9.0-9.2 also. If slight foxing is allowed, then very light small scuffs/rubs should be too.
9.2 NEAR MINT- (NM-): Nearly perfect with only a minor additional defect or defects that keep it from Near Mint. A limited number of minor bindery/printing defects are allowed. A light, barely noticeable water stain or slight foxing that does not detract from the beauty of the book is acceptable for this grade. Cover is flat with (almost) no surface wear. Inks are bright with only the slightest dimming of reflectivity. Generally well centered and firmly secured to interior pages. Corners are cut square and sharp with ever-so-slight blunting permitted. A 1/16-1/8" bend is permitted with no color break. No creases. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as they are in an unobtrusive location. No soiling, staining or other discoloration apart from some slight foxing. Spine is tight and flat. No spine roll or split allowed. Staples may show some discoloration. No staple tears are allowed; almost no stress lines. No rust migration. In rare cases, a comic was not stapled at the bindery and therefore has a missing staple; this is not considered a defect. Any staple can be replaced on books up to Fine, but only vintage staples can be used on books from Very Fine to Near Mint. Mint books must have original staples. Paper is (no worse than) off-white to cream, supple and fresh. No hint of acidity in the odor of the newsprint. Centerfold is firmly secure. Slight interior tears are allowed.