The comic book industry changed in the year 2000 when the company Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) was formed. This company introduced the comic world to the concept of graded comics. A graded comic includes placing a comic in several layers of plastic that are impervious to air and gases. These layers of plastic accomplish two objectives; one is to protect the comic from deterioration and the other is to assign a numerical value grade, which is used to determine what the comic is worth. Since CGC started grading comic books it has grown so big that everyday on EBay you can find thousands of CGC comics for sale. This has prompted two new companies, Comic Book Certification Service (CBCS) and Professional Grading Experts (PGX), to enter the comic grading service business. The introduction of these two other comic grading services can confuse a collector as to which company should be used to have your comics graded. All three companies provide different services that may increase the value of your comics.
CGC:
CGC is the original comic book grader and currently has the most well known name in this segment of the comic-grading world. As a result of its name brand CGC comics tend to be sought after more by collectors and tend to fetch slightly higher prices when sold. The company has four different grading labels: Standard, Signature, Qualified, and Restored. The Standard level is any comic that you are submitting raw, meaning there are no defects, signatures or restorations to the comic. This is the basic level this company offers, you submit your comics and just wait 10 to 12 weeks to get them back. The next level is the Signature series, which is when a representative from CGC witnesses a person signing the comic book. In order for a comic to qualify as a Signature series it has to be signed in front of a CGC representative, otherwise it does not qualify. After the signature is witnessed the comic takes 10 to 12 weeks to be graded, but receives a different label than the Standard comic. The third type of label a comic can receive with this company is a Qualified label. A Qualified label implies that the comic is in near mint condition, but has a major defect such as a significant tear. The forth label that can be given, sometimes referred to as the purple label of death, is a Restoration label, which is when the company determines the comic has been restored through various means of using other comics or touch ups. Restored comics typically fetch a lower price as they are not original, but many older comics that have been restored have sold high, due to the importance of the issue. These four labels are the only labels that CGC currently offers. These labels are the highest standard currently in the industry as they are worth the most amount of money upon resale of the comic.
CBCS:
CBCS is a direct competitor to CGC offering the same service of grading comic books. CBCS utilizes a different labeling system than CGC. For restored comics it receives the same label as a standard unrestored comic, but has notes indicating that it has been restored. Furthermore, this company has two different signature programs. The first being a CBCS representative witnesses the signature on a comic receiving a yellow label, much like CGC. The other program they offer is the Verified Signature Program, which allows for un-witnessed signed comics to be authenticated and graded. Under this program your comics would receive a red label to indicate that the comic’s signature was authenticated through the company CSA Comics LLC; a signature authentication company that works exclusively for CBCS. This program is the major difference between CBCS and CGC, as CGC does not have a program to authenticate any un-witnessed comic book signatures either from before or after 2000. The program gives collectors a chance to either get signed comics that could not be witnessed or comics before 2000 authenticated and graded; in the case of many comic books the authentication of the signature could double or triple the value of the comic. Another major difference this company utilizes is how they grade; it uses increments of 0.1 all the way up to 10 rather than using a .2 increment. CBCS is a new company in the comic grading service and as a result its comics do not have as high a resale value, yet as a company authenticates and grades un-witnessed signatures providing a new service to this industry.
PGX:
PGX tends to receive the least value for your comic books when the service is used. Yet, it is a cheaper alternative as it grades at a significantly lower price than both CBCS and CGC. It provides simpler services to both that of CGC and CBCS as it grades and witnesses signed comics and authenticates un-witnessed signed comics. PGX also offers PayPal as a method to pay for this service, which the other two do not, thus providing a different way to pay. Despite being the cheapest price, PGX does have the fastest turn around time from when a comic is submitted to when it is graded and shipped back to its owner. PGX does not get top dollar like CBCS and CGC, but it is a cheaper and faster service, if you are tight for cash it provides a nice alternative to other companies.
The world of comic book grading is confusing as there are three different companies that all provide different value and different services that affect your comic’s value. CGC is currently the standard to which the other companies measure up to as it has the brand name and trust. CBCS is slightly behind CGC as it is a new comic grading company, but they are currently providing an un-witnessed signature verification program. This allows for any signed book to be authenticated and graded, thus solving a major problem for many collectors. PGX is the cheapest method of getting both comic books graded and signatures authenticated; yet the graded comics sell for less than comics with CGC or CBCS certification. When choosing what service to go with when grading your comics it comes down to what company you like more, the services you need for that comic book, and your current economic situation.
