The comic book grading scale, explained
Updated
Comics are graded on a scale from 0.5 (Poor) to 10.0 (Gem Mint). The numbers follow the scale popularized by the Overstreet price guide and used by the major grading companies, CGC and CBCS. A single step can change a book's price a lot, especially at the top: a CGC 9.8 often sells for several times a 9.4.
Every grade on the scale
| Grade | Name | Short |
|---|---|---|
| 10.0 | Gem Mint | GM |
| 9.9 | Mint | MT |
| 9.8 | Near Mint/Mint | NM/M |
| 9.6 | Near Mint+ | NM+ |
| 9.4 | Near Mint | NM |
| 9.2 | Near Mint- | NM- |
| 9.0 | Very Fine/Near Mint | VF/NM |
| 8.5 | Very Fine+ | VF+ |
| 8.0 | Very Fine | VF |
| 7.5 | Very Fine- | VF- |
| 7.0 | Fine/Very Fine | FN/VF |
| 6.5 | Fine+ | FN+ |
| 6.0 | Fine | FN |
| 5.5 | Fine- | FN- |
| 5.0 | Very Good/Fine | VG/FN |
| 4.5 | Very Good+ | VG+ |
| 4.0 | Very Good | VG |
| 3.5 | Very Good- | VG- |
| 3.0 | Good/Very Good | GD/VG |
| 2.5 | Good+ | GD+ |
| 2.0 | Good | GD |
| 1.8 | Good- | GD- |
| 1.5 | Fair/Good | FR/GD |
| 1.0 | Fair | FR |
| 0.5 | Poor | PR |
What the main grades look like
Mint and Near Mint (9.2 to 10.0)
Nearly perfect. Sharp corners, a flat and clean cover, bright colors, no spine stress you can see without looking closely. 10.0 and 9.9 are extremely rare. 9.8 is the grade most modern collectors aim for.
Very Fine (7.5 to 9.0)
An attractive copy with a little wear: a few tiny stress lines at the spine, slight corner wear, a small bend that does not break the color.
Fine (5.5 to 7.0)
Clearly read and handled, still complete and attractive. Visible spine stress, minor creases, some wear on the edges and corners.
Very Good and Good (1.8 to 5.0)
A well-read copy. Creases, rolled spine, small tears, some soiling. For rare Golden and Silver Age keys, even these grades can be worth a lot.
Fair and Poor (0.5 to 1.5)
Heavy wear and damage: large tears, missing pieces, water damage. Usually only collected when the book itself is very rare.
What graders also look at
- Page quality: white pages are best; off-white and cream follow, and brittle pages pull a grade down.
- Restoration: color touch-ups, glue or trimming. A restored book gets a separate label and is worth much less than an unrestored one in the same grade.
- Defects you only see up close: staple rust, miswrapped covers, and indents in the cover all count.
CGC label colors
- Blue (Universal): an unrestored book. This is the label most buyers want.
- Yellow (Signature Series): signed in front of a CGC witness.
- Purple (Restored): the book has had restoration work.
- Green (Qualified): one significant defect is noted separately, like a missing coupon.
Raw conditions and their likely CGC grade
Raw books are usually described with words, not numbers. When you add a raw copy to treasury-comics, we use these CGC grades to estimate what a slab would be worth:
| Raw condition | Likely CGC grade |
|---|---|
| Mint | 9.8 |
| Near Mint | 9.6 |
| Very Fine | 8.0 |
| Fine | 6.0 |
| Very Good | 4.0 |
| Good | 2.0 |
| Fair | 1.0 |
| Poor | 0.5 |
These are deliberately cautious: most raw books called Near Mint come back a little lower once a grader sees them. For when a slab is worth it, see is my comic worth grading?.