jas1vans Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 I would like to get better at grading comics. I'm not looking to work for CGC, but I'd like to be able to assess books and make sure that I'm somewhat on par with the grade they're being sold as. I went to a con looking for a couple keeper books and didn't feel comfortable pulling the trigger on anything I looked at. I'd like to practice by grading a couple short boxes; re-grading them in a couple months to see if I feel the same way to get more comfortable with grading. Maybe next time I'll come home with a couple of the books I'd like. I was wondering if there was a proper order when it comes to grading. Math had PEMDAS. Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally for parentheses, exponent, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction. The only acronym I can come up with is FBCSSPP. "F***ing biting c**t! Stupid spider," Peter Parker for front cover, back cover, corners, staples, spine, page quality, page count. I'm not sure that that's the best order to look at the book and I'm sure I'm missing a couple other grading criteria. Is there an order to grading the book that lends itself to more careful handling or a more efficient grading process? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lions Den Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 (edited) Perhaps I can offer some advice. First, there's nothing like experience to help you learn how to grade, so your comment about grading a short box or two is very insightful. I'm not sure of one strict formula for grading, but you certainly touched on some key areas that need to be evaluated before you can get a good idea of where a book may fall on the 10 point grading scale. For me, I can usually get an idea about a book's condition almost immediately by closely examining the spine and the staples. To put it simply, if the book has a lot of spine wear, it's usually been read many times, which usually means there's other wear as well. When I'm evaluating a book to purchase, I check everything I can if it's not already slabbed (and even if it has been slabbed)! That's one reason I still buy CGC graded books---I know that at the very least, the book's condition was evaluated by an expert, a restoration check has been done, and the interior has been examined for flaws. Not only that, the certified grade will usually be very close to what I would grade the book, so it takes the guesswork out of it. But if you enjoy grading books (a rare quality to have) then I would suggest checking out the books listed in the "Buddy Can You Spare a Grade" section. That way, you can see how other graders grade and fine tune your skills a little at a time. I really enjoy seeing how other people evaluate books, even if we don't always agree on the grade. And I'll let you in on a little secret: the graders at CGC don't always agree, either. Edited February 27, 2019 by The Lions Den jas1vans 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Liebl Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 If you want to get good at grading quickly send in some books to CGC. When they come back you may be left scratching your noggin. Don't have any sharp objects nearby when you read the grades. Anything that looks like it has been read is probably below 9.0. jas1vans 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcjames Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 (edited) Interesting question... I didn't realize there is a pattern to which I inspect a book to grade it, usually always in the same order What I look at in order: SCEF-BICOP SpineCornersEdgesFrontBackInteriorCompletenessOverall Presentation ETA: Spine includes staples Edited February 27, 2019 by jcjames The Lions Den and jas1vans 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADAMANTIUM Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 @jas1vans https://www.cgccomics.com/boards/forum/42-hey-buddy-can-you-spare-a-grade/ Try this part of the CGC forums, people post scans for an estimate in grade. If willing some may even give reasons to why they estimate the posters book a certain grade. It may help you with gut decisions once you've seen many copies and you might get an idea towards future purchases jas1vans and The Lions Den 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Dowling Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 This is a really good question. I started learning how to grade comics 40 years ago and I’m still learning. Everyone has their own preferred and despised flaws on books but if you’re looking for the general consensus, I would go to one of the bigger cons and seek out the major dealers that are very well respected. Richard Evans and Bob Storms are just the first two that come to mind. They will have an inventory of books in various grades that you can look at and start getting a good baseline for the major grade points: Very Good 4.0, Fine 6.0, Very Fine 8.0, VFNM 9.0, NM 9.4. Once you get those established in your mind, you can start filling the nuances between like the difference between a 4.5 and a 5.5. There will always be tough calls, like when a book is perfect in every other way but has a 3” non-color breaking crease on the back cover (hate those!) or what role do surface characteristics play vs. the obvious structure of a book. Just takes time and lots of practice. Keep in mind the following dynamic- most people that are buying books will try to undergrade to get a better deal and a lot of people (above individuals and others excluded) will overgrade books they are selling to get the most money for them. It’s human nature but the good guys treat everyone the same way they’d like to be treated. The question I often ask myself when selling a book is this: if I got this with my assigned grade, would be pleased or disappointed. You still miss stuff sometimes but you do your best. jas1vans and The Lions Den 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvelmaniac Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 First remember, grading is subjective, there is no "absolute" carved in stone but there are grading standards and the more you grade and look at the defects talked about the more proficient you will become. There are resources available to you to help you learn to grade your books properly. You need to learn the terminology, the standards and have illustrations to help you see the actual defects that are being referred to. Remember, you do not need to memorize all of these, that is why you keep the reference material close by. A few years back I re-graded/cataloged/photographed all 3600 of my books and I still refer to the grading standards when I am grading a book. GRADING STANDARDS https://comics.ha.com/tutorial/comics-grading.s?show=comicdefinitions COMIC BOOK GLOSSARY/TERMINOLOGY http://www.teako170.com/grade.html OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK GRADING GUIDE (Also available on Amazon/eBay/Barnes and Noble, etc.) https://gemstonepub.com/en/the-overstreet-comic-book-grading-guide-3rd-edition jas1vans, The Lions Den and jcjames 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jas1vans Posted February 28, 2019 Author Share Posted February 28, 2019 (edited) @The Lions Den I saw that idea on a reply on another grading question. I'm not sure who deserves the proper credit for that idea. I lurk on the PGM boards and have read the Overstreet and Heritage grading guides. I think that right now I'm much better on the low and mid grades, the 9.0 and above are pretty tough. Edited February 28, 2019 by jas1vans I repeated a sentence, a digital stutter of sorts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Liebl Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 8 minutes ago, jas1vans said: @The Lions Den I saw that idea on a reply on another grading question. I'm not sure who deserves the proper credit for that idea. I have read the Overstreet and Heritage grading information. I lurk on the PGM boards and have read the Overstreet and Heritage grading guides. I think that right now I'm much better on the low and mid grades, the 9.0 and above are pretty tough. That's funny because I think I am better on the higher grade books and don't know jack on the low ones. Let's team up lol! The Lions Den 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jas1vans Posted February 28, 2019 Author Share Posted February 28, 2019 @Karl Liebl Let's wait and see once I get brave enough to post my guesses on PGM! My "skill" with identifying lower grades may just be dumb luck. ADAMANTIUM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lions Den Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 All very good information on this thread... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...