NM An Understanding Of How Our Grading System Works

A perfect, unread comic. White pages, sharp corners, perfectly aligned cover, tight staples, sharp square corners, no creases, marks, fading of any kind - no flaw whatsoever. We have never actually graded a book as MINT. To quote the late, great, Phil Seuling: "Mint is a flavor of chewing gum."

NM = Near Mint

This is what most comics look like when purchased new, presuming no harassment on the racks. Tight staples, glossy cover, sharp corners, no marks, white pages. Any flaws are HINTS of a flaw. Maybe look very closely and you the perfectionist will see a minuscule mis-alignment of the cover with the pages, or the hint of the rounding of a corner. Run your fingers down the spine and you may feel a crease which isn't visible to the eye. Those are the kind of things which mean that nearly all "as new" comics are graded as Near Mint rather than Mint. You will notice that in our MILLIONS of listings, we don't use this grade either. VF-NM is usually our top grade.

VF = Very Fine

Excellent condition. Sharp, bright and clean. May have minor spine wear or a small corner crease, or slight surface wear. Often, at first glance a Very Fine comic will appear Near Mint, although closer inspection will reveal trace ( but distinct) imperfections. This is typically the best grade seen for Silver Age comics.

F = Fine

A nice book, still attractive to look at. An optimistic first glance might reasonably hope for a VF or even a VF-NM. Staples still firm, there is at least some gloss, good corners, but closer look reveals more imperfections.

VG = Very Good

A solid book. Immediately visible but not dramatic flaws - conversely no dramatic virtues either. Just clean somewhat worn and solid. Maybe some creases but no significant tears. Staples still solid. Book still solid, but clearly worn. 

G = Good

As VG, but with flaws more pronounced. Creases are a little bigger, maybe a larger tear, staples still well attached, but may have stress tears around them. There may be small chips out of the cover. The wear is everywhere but the book is still sound. 

FR = Fair

A Fair comic is well worn with large flaws, but the book and cover are still, possibly a piece or two missing from the cover, a staple may be loose. OK for a reader or an inexpensive placeholder for a collector.

PR = Poor

Any graded book should be complete. A book in POOR has its cover and all its pages. Things may be loose or waiting to get lost, there may be a piece missing here or there, but the book is there. Still readable. We do not give incomplete books a grade.