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Grading Comics

Overstreet Comic Book

Do you find the Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide useful in ascertaining the value of certain issues? Do you use and other Comic related guides?

Comics Grading

I was never a huge fan of the Overstreet price guides, having used the monthly Wizard magazine for all of my needs in the 90s. The thing I liked about Wizard was that it wasn't just a price guide, it was also a comedy magazine to boot. They'd publish (and make fun) of fan letters, have make-your-own-action-figures contests, and cast actors and actresses into comic movies that people figured would never get made (I mean, an X-Men movie? a Fantastic Four movie? - this kinda' stuff was unfathomable back in the early 90s).

As my love for superhero comics faded, so did my need for Wizard magazine, and I haven't really been wrapped up in how much an individual comic might be worth in hypothetical "resale" value for some time. It's nice to pick up a price guide every now and then, but it's certainly not something I read more than a couple times a year. What price guides do you folks use for silver age stuff?

Grading Comics Reviews & RPGs PBP Anime / Comic

Overstreet is a guide that many use. It is overpriced and may be good for using for insurance cases but you will rarely get this amount of money for any of your comics. You are more likely to get 1/2 to 1/4 of that cost. I rarely look at the resale values since I have no intention of selling any of them. A fault of a collector, I.e. pack rat.

Wyldehorse

Comics Grading

1. Spot on, Wyldehorse. During the giant comics explosion in the 90s when DC killed off several characters and reshaped the universe since Crisis on Infinite Earths (Death of Superman, Zero Hour) and Marvel released many new titles and cross-overs featuring mutants, folks were out there collecting every gold foil-embossed/hologram/limited run/"First Astonishing Issue!"/alternate wraparound cover variant of comics they already owned as "investment items."

2. Now I know for certain that I didn't and won't get rich collecting modern age comics, although I do know many people who treat an expensive issue as "20 dollars in the bank" - which is silly. Regardless, I don't know anyone who purchased one of the aforementioned gold-embossed cover variants and made a fortune, except perhaps the comic book shop owner/dealer (and distributors, producers, etc.) who have patrons silly enough to purchase modern age back-issues at "guide" prices. As for reselling them personally, I've never tried it, although I imagine one's online-auction-site-of-choice could take some power away from the average dealer/store/etc.

3. Apparently the latest craze (meaning in the past few years) is third-party expert grading (Comics Guaranty, LLC/CGC Grading). They dabble in sports cards and other collectibles as well and offer members the ability to have their book put in sealed containers with a fairly indisputable grade attached. Useful in helping modern age disputes, the company's services must really shine in silver and golden age issues when the tiniest difference in "grade" means hundreds and thousands of dollars in auction resale value lost.

Anyone have any success stories in dealing with comic resales, grading, or the CGC as a whole?