Tips for Understanding Comic Book Value

Have you found a stash of old comics in the attic? Maybe you happened on someone’s comic book collection at a garage or tag sale and picked them up with the idea of making a few dollars. Either way, you need to determine the comic book value, regardless of where you got the comic books or whether there are five books or five hundred altogether.

You have a lot of ways to determine the value of a comic book. First, you have to know what condition it’s in, based on generally accepted guidelines. The rarity and desirability of a comic book is another big thing that can give you a good idea of what kind of price you can get for it.

There are at least two ways to determine comic book value. This is also known as its grade. You browse online to find resources that will help you determine its grade. Alternatively, you can consult the CGC (Comics Guaranty Company) by mail or by going to a comic book convention. The grading terms are Mint, Near Mint, Very Fine, Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. There is a lot of information online to help you determine the grade, and you can also consult a book or guide on the subject.

You’ll find that it is much easier to determine comic book value once you know the grade. Looking at auctions on eBay will give you a good idea as to what some comic books are selling for. But when you’re looking at auctions, be aware that there are special things that will cause prices to vary from issue to issue. Printing errors and rarity, for example.

Another thing you can do is buy a price guide on comic books; there are different ones to choose from. Some guides will give you one price for each comic. Some give you a range of values depending on the comic’s condition. Lastly, try using a good search engine to find information on a specific issue, and join an online community of other collectors.

Have a lot of comic books laying around? Visit Comic Book Prices and check out our sections on Comic Book Values and Comic Book Pricing to find out what your collection is worth!

- Candace Right