Presented By: Joseph Crutsinger Date: 07/08/2016 Collecting Graded Comic Books

Outline Introductions The Who’s Who History: The Age of Comics What is Comic Book Grading? The Process Where To Buy Resources References Show & Tell

Hello. I’m Joe and I have been collecting comic books for over 20 years.

Wow, 20 years you say? So, what is your story and why is an adult still collecting comic books?

The Story 8 years old. How old were you when you saw a comic book? Thanks Grandpa! Childhood memories Remember your first comic? What was it?

The Why Collecting comic books is fun Graded comic books are more valuable Comic books mostly retain their value as time goes on The history of comic books is pretty amazing You can physically hold an artifact from your childhood

The Who’s Who

Stan Lee – One of the Godfathers of Marvel

Joe Schuster & Jerry Siegel – DC Comics (Creators of Superman)

Jack Kirby – One of the Godfathers of Marvel

History: The Age of Comics

The are four distinct “Ages” in comic book history: 1930 – 1950: Golden Age 1956 – 1971: Silver Age 1971 – 1980: Bronze Age 1987 – Present: The Modern Age Ref: (2)

1930 – 1950: Golden Age - Superman was introduced by Jerome Siegal and Joseph Shuster - World War II was a boon for the comic book - DC Comics introduced Batman in Marvel introduced Captain America & The Human Torch - Graded comic books from this age are most valuable

1956 – 1971: Silver Age  Popularity of comic books waned after WWII  Comics Code Authority was created  The superhero genre was rejuvenated  Marvel creates Spiderman, The Hulk, Fantastic Four, and X-Men  DC created the Justice League

1971 – 1980: Bronze Age  Shift from social issues to emphasis on form and stylistic details  Major sales decline during this period  Marvel/DC started licensing out their characters for television use  Marvel bought the rights to print Star Wars comics

1987 – Present: The Modern Age  In the 1990’s, comics became top collector items  Marvel became the first comic book publisher to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange  Marvel/DC began licensing their characters for use on the big screen  In 2000, the X-Men movie grossed 150 million dollars

What is Comic Grading?

Professional comic book grading eliminates concerns about grade misrepresentations by providing a professional assessment of condition and quality. Every comic book certified by CGC is graded by the hobby's most experienced and trusted team, according to well-established grading standards. Ref. (1)

The Process

The process begins with the following decisions: Which comic publisher? What characters? Graded or not? Signed or not-signed? Send comics to CGC for grading? Buy already graded comics online?

You can send your comics directly to CGC for grading. This service is done by professionals who carefully inspect, grade, slab, and ship the comic back to you. CGC offers subscription services where you can send a certain amount of comics per month. You also have the option of paying per book. CGC Grading

But, I don’t want to go through all that trouble. Well, you can also buy CGC comics in many places....

Where To Buy Graded Comics Your local comic shop. Comic book conventions. EBay Mycomicshop.com Mile High Comics Ref. (5)

Resources

Galleries The CGC Gallery contains large digital images of thousands of CGC-certified comics available for viewing. Many Signature Series and pedigree copies are included. New books are added frequently. View the CGC Gallery View the CGC Gallery Glossary The specialized jargon of comic book certification is explained in our comprehensive glossary. View the Glossary View the Glossary Pedigree Comic Book Collections CGC recognizes the pedigree of important original owner collections. Learn more about what requirements must be fulfilled for a pedigree to be recognized and view a list of the collections recognized by CGC. View Pedigree Comic Book Collections View Pedigree Comic Book Collections Publishers Learn more about the companies that print and distribute your favorite comic books, including independent publishers. In this section, you can find out more about the hot up-and-coming presses. View Publishers View Publishers Restoration Learn about the history of comic book restoration and some tips for spotting restoration on comic books. View Restoration Information View Restoration Information The Hero Initiative Learn more about The Hero Initiative, a not-for-profit agency that provides a financial safety net for yesterday's comic book creators in need. It’s a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment. View the Hero Initiative View the Hero Initiative Ref. (4)

References

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) All artwork is the original work of Marvel & DC Comics prospectively.

Show & Tell