Grading scale (worst to best)

poor -- fair -- good -- very good -- fine -- very fine -- near mint – mint

 

How this scale relates to Galaxies Of Wonder comics.....

 

MINT
10.0

Totally flawless in all ways.
Extremely rarely is any comic in "mint" condition. Simply the act of it being shipped to a store will usually down grade the comic to "near mint" or worse. The exceptions are specially handled books, such as ones shipped in protective cases directly from the publisher or best yet - CGC graded books. Very rarely will you see a "Mint" book from us.... not because our books wouldn't be considered Mint by alot of people, but we're very very picky when it comes to that rating.

NEAR MINT
9.1 - 9.9

Looks close to perfect
A Near Mint book with us means only the smallest of spine creases or none at all. No cover creases or bends allowed. Bright glossy pages. This rating looks straight from the distributioner. Many of our books in this catagory came straight from the distributioner and into a protective bag and board, never read.

 

VERY FINE
7.1 - 9.0

Excellent
Very small spine creases allowed. Very clean with bright colors and pages. No tears or rips. This grade is much more common and is considered by most to be Near Mint.

 

FINE
5.1 - 7.0

Nice copy
Minor corner impacts and dings. Light cover creases, and more numerous spine creases, but none very heavy. Very small spine tear allowed, less then 1/4". Spine can have very slight roll. Very light corner bend.

 

VERY GOOD
3.1 - 5.0

Average
This grade is what most used comics are found to be. Spine and cover creases. Yellowing pages and cover. Corner impacts and dings. Some spine roll allowed. Very small tear, less then 1/4" allowed.

 

GOOD
1.6 - 3.0

Very used
Can be dirty and with writing on it. Still a good readable copy. All pages and covers must be present, but may have small tears. Spine can be rolled, even heavily, as long as it does not effect the rest of the comic.

 

FAIR
1.0 - 1.5

Something to read, but not really collectable
A readable copy but not worth much more then that. Numerous problems, usually heavily damaged. All pages must be present.

 

POOR
0.5 - 1.0

Horrible shape
Missing pieces of cover and / or pages. Heavy stains. Brittle pages. Torn cover and / or pages. Mildew, water stains. You'll feel like washing your hands after handling this comic.

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The older the comic, the more lenient most collectors and appraisers will be towards the condition. A comic printed in 1970 with a fine rating would get a good in 2006.

Photos are a great way to check an item. Ask the seller for a scan, a lot of the ones on the listings are of lower quality. A higher quality one can usually be easily e-mailed. But, don't be surprised or offended if the scan has a name on it in an effort to avoid it being used again.

Don't be afraid to ask any seller about condition. Get the details and buy with confidence!