Example Based Comic Book Grading Guide

ComicBookRealm's Example Based Grading tool is based loosely on a tool previously provided by a now defunct website. We will continue to refine the tool, please make feature requests for changes wished.

To use the tool click on the image most closely resembling what you see in your comic and it will be logged as you are taken to the next step.

• begin

Abrasion / Cover Wear

• Glossy, smooth; no abrasion
• Just noticeable abrasion
• Small Area of Scuffing
• Colour Breaking Abrasions
• Large Areas of Visible Abrasion
• Deep Abrasions/Spine Wear

Centration / miswrap

• Perfect Centration
• Off centre 1-3mm
• Noticeable miswrap
• Severe miswrap
• Wild miswrap

Color Spots

• None
• <3 tiny flecks
• Several Flecks/large donuts

Color Lift

• None- Flat & Smooth
• 3mm area removed
• 3-10 mm area removed
• 10-20 mm Patch Removed
• > 10mm Patch Removed

Corner Creases

• Perfect Unblemished Corners
• Just Noticeable Deformation
• Blunting
• 5mm Crease
• Several Minor Creases
• Multiple Light Creases
• Small General Atrition
• 40 mm Colour Breaking Creases
• Large Corner Crease
• Corner Attrition

Corner Rounding

• Sharp Corner
• Just Perceptibly blunted
• Blunted
• Fibres Showing
• Deformation with Colour Breaks
• Rounded; radius < 3mm
• Rounded; Radius >3mm
• 'No Corner'

Cover Gloss

• As New
• High Gloss
• Moderate Gloss Remaining
• Dull
• Matte

Cover page missing

• Complete
• Back Cover Missing- Front Taped On
• Entire Cover Missing

Cover Whiteness

• White
• Off-White/White
• Off-White
• Cream/Off-white
• Cream
• Tan
• Brown

Cutouts (Interior/Exterior)

• None
• 5mm sq. Piece out
• 20mm Piece out of Cover
• Coupon Cut; Non-Story Page
• Coupon Cut- Story Page
• Large Piece / Coupon Out of Cover

Digs & Gouges

• None
• 2mm Non-Colour Breaking
• Long Non-Color Breaking
• 5mm Dent/Bale Marks
• Page thickness Gouge
• Long Drag Marks
• Pieces out from Several Pages

Edge Wear / Chipping

• Sharp, straight edge
• Slight abrasion to extreme edge
• Perceptible 'Dings'
• Rolled Overhang / Creases
• Slight Creasing / Breaks
• Single large chip / general breaks
• Heavily Worn Overflash
• Multiple Creases / Minor Tears
• Multiple Chips Out
• Brittle

Ink Density (Printing Defect)

• Deep, Dense Inks
• Areas of Fading
• Washed out / Visible Color Overlap

Interior Page Colour

• White
• Off-White/White
• Off-White
• Cream/Off-White
• Cream
• Tan
• Brown

Interior Pages Missing

• All Pages Present
• One or More (story) Pages Missing

Lying Flat

• Totally Flat
• Slight Page Lifting
• Open Bend at Spine/warping
• Warping/Kinks at Spine
• Large Shallow Bend
• Excessive Warping/Lifting

Paint

• None
• <5mm Coloured Areas
• Obvious Amateur Colouring
• Large Amounts of Paint

Piece Out (wear/rip damage)

• Edges Complete
• 1mm Flake Out
• <3mm piece out
• 3-5mm piece out
• 5-10mm piece out
• 5-20mm piece out
• Large piece out

Printer's Creases

• None
• 2" or less printer's crease
• 2-3" printer's crease
• Multiple 3" creases
• Greater than 3" crease(s)

Scratches

• None
• Just Perceptible Colour Break
• 3mm Scratch & flaking
• Deep 10mm Scratch
• Large Superficial Scratches
• Page-Thickness Scratches
• Large Noticeable Scratch

Soiling

• Totally Clean
• Tiny Fingerprint <5mm
• Soiling Tracks
• General light Soiling
• Moderate Contact soiling-Dirt

Spine Creases

• None
• Single Perceptible Crease
• 4mm Colour Breaking Crease
• Several Colour Breaking Creases
• Uniform Creasing <7mm
• Multiple Deep Creases
• Heavy Creasing

Spine Roll

• Tight, Flat Spine
• Slight Spine Roll
• Moderate Spine Roll
• Substantial Spine Roll
• Severe Spine Roll

Spine Stress Marks

• None
• Just Perceptible (<3mm)
• 2-4mm non-color Breaking
• Several non-color breaking creases
• Multiple non-color breaking creases

Spine Tears

• None
• <5mm Tear
• 10mm Tear
• 20mm Tear or several smaller
• 30mm spine tear
• Very Large Tear
• Book-Length Split

Staining

• None
• Just Perceptible Mark
• Moderate fingerprint stain
• Small Stain Spotting
• Label Adhesive
• Single large Stain
• Dark fingerprint stains
• Large rust / oxidation stain
• Water Damage

Stamps & Ink

• None
• Small Date Stamp
• Cover Stamp < 20mm
• Bookshop Stamp
• Multiple Large Stamps

Staple Placement

• Perfect Placement
• Slightly Off Alignment
• 1-3mm off-staple
• > 3mm mis-staple
• Amateur Re-Staple

Staple Rust

• Clean, Shiny Staple
• Matte Appearance
• Moderate Tarnish / Rust Signs
• Advanced Rust with Migration
• Substantial Migration

Staple Wear

• Perfect; As-new
• Perceptible Staple Wear
• 2mm Staple Crease
• Buckled Spine; colour breaking creases
• Large Creases and/or small tears
• Considerable Staple Wear
• Severe Staple Wear
• Cover Detached

Subscription Crease

• None
• Noticeable Crease
• Obvious Folding Damage

Sun Shadow

• None
• Just Perceptible
• Slight Tanning
• Unobtrusive Sun Shadow
• Noticeable Sun Shadow
• Obvious Sun Shadow

Tape

• No Tape
• Amateur Tear Seal <10mm
• Small Amateur Repair
• Large Repair (Complete Spine)

Tears

• No Tears
• Single tear <5mm
• Multiple <3mm tears
• Several 3-5mm Tears
• 5-10mm Tear
• 10-20mm Tear
• 20-30 mm Tear
• Large Tear

Warping

• None
• Just Noticable
• Bumpy
• Noticeable Warping
• Water Damage
• Heavy Wrinkling

Writing

• No Writing
• Unobtrusive writing; pencil BC
• Single Date Mark (Ballpoint)
• Multiple Ballpoint on Cover
• Large Written Characters
• Marker Pen
• Scrawl