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About CGC |
What Are CGC Graded Comics? CGC (Comics Guaranty Company) are a third-party grading service. For years the comic industry and collectors acknowledged the need for an independent grading body. As a long-time collector myself I can tell you that in my life-time I had never met a dealer who undergraded his or her books. CGC offers objective grading by experts using a pre-determined set of criteria which was formulated initially with the help of the industry itself. A CGC grade on a comic is the definitive word on grading and universally accepted in the comic and collecting world. CGC have essentially made the use of "pedigree" redundant. The sole reason historically that "pedigreed" books commanded premium prices was that the buyer had more insurance regarding the quality of the book if it had come from an acknowledged astute collector. Only in very rare instances would a serious collector ever now place the same premium on "pedigree", unless of course they just had to own a book that was once owned by........... The CGC high grade book has now replaced the pedigree book as the one which brings multiples of guide price. It turns out that even the best of collectors like Edgar Church had the odd low grade book, but a CGC high grade is always a high grade book. Another major breakthrough for the collector is the detection of 'restoration' which is part of the CGC grading process, and this is a matter of course for every book submitted to CGC. With a CGC graded book you, the collector know exactly what you are buying. It has essentially eliminated the 'grey' area of grade determination and question of restoration. CGC books have regularily broken sales records and prices for single high-grade issues of virtually every title and period covered by their grading. They have, in my opinion legitimized the hobby. For more information on CGC, either drop us an email by clicking on the 'contact us' link, or visit the CGC web-site |