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Title: The Official Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide by Robert M Overstreet ISBN: 0-609-81052-9 Publisher: House of Collectibles Pub. Date: 14 January, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.14 (7 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: The Best BUT...
Comment: The problem I find with this book, as with all books on the subject of grading, is that it is getting too complex.
As a collector of coins and stamps, along with comics, I understand the importance of grading when it comes to the determining the value of your collection; however, when I look at a book, I now find myself trying to determine what this stress line or that OWL interior really does to the grade. How many points deducted? Added?
Of course, Overstreet is the definiitve book on the subject but there comes a time when a decision has to be made as far as trying to figure out what grade to give it, i.e., VF- or F+, for example, and sometimes there is not enough details on exactly what it is that makes that determination. This is particularly true when it comes to Golden Age or early Silver Age.
A Goldie is much harder to grade because, given its age, and scarcity, one must decide how much a particular defect will compromise a grade in relation to a modern book. A Goldie with spine stress lines should not be held to the same standards as a modern with the same defect. if you take away one point for that, you then should have the option of adding one point due to its rarity.
Overstreet, while mentioning this problem, does not give enough information on it to make it clear and decisive.
The bottom line is that the Overstreet Guide is the 'Bible' of comic collecting and is highly recommended as the definiitve guide to grading BUT......it is still the old axiom of 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder.'
Rating: 3
Summary: So close to being great, but ends up merely average.
Comment: Sometimes I wonder how major glaring issues get published with something that purports to be a definitive guide. Of course i'm talking about the size of the photos, many labelled flaws are simply undectable and pressing ones face right up to the book to see flaws is well silly and unnecessary. Its sad to see a total compromise of someones product presumably to sell more copies to WaldenBooks or whomever, it shows a lack of integrity and a lack of dedication to ones customers.
Other than that major disappointment, I'd have to say the only other problem with the book are that the written articles are a bit muddled, the basics of grading seem a bit sparse while some aspects of minutae seem to be overemphasised.
All the information you need to make grading judgements in todays CGC environment is here though. Most probably wont be too happy to learn that most comics they bought as NM/VF in the 80's/early 90's are probably a 7.5 at best in today's market. But thats not Overstreets fault.
The part of the book where they take an Atom comic through the grades is very informative and probably the best visual representation of grading to date.
Theres promise here and the information is factual but presented in a flawed manner, if you need a handy reference guide for comic grading this is it. Surely they cant help but address the basic flaws with their product in later editions?
Rating: 5
Summary: Invaluable tool for collectors and vendors!
Comment: This 2nd edition is an improvement over the 1992 edition and bolsters the viewpoint that Overstreet standards must be recognized as the primary source for grading decisions. While this guide does not provide specific CGC guidelines - which CGC refuses to publish - there is an overview of CGC by CGC Primary Grader Steve Borock and there are several examples of CGC-graded comics in various grades pictured. This, of course, merely provides examples of CGC grading and does not address the issue of CGC's well-documented inconsistencies. ***UPDATE: August, 2003 - CGC has announced that it will has adopted Overstreet grading standards as its own! This is a shrewd move by CGC and will help unify overall grading standards.***
In this guide, you will find advertising by some of the largest retailers in the nation, along with several interesting articles whose topics range from comic book history to restoration to shipping comics. Each grade has a fairly comprehensive one-page description of necessary qualities inherent to the grade, along with a full checklist of 21 grading considerations like spine roll, cover creases and staples. The pages following are filled with clear and illustrative examples of covers of books fitting the grade, with appropriate annotation of defects.
While there is still room for improvement in future editions, such as addressing the topic of grade "qualifiers" - a defect impacting the grade of a comic whose appearance would suggest a better grade if not for the defect - it is the premier guide to comic book grading and is a must-have for any serious collector or dealer.
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Title: 2003 Comic Book Checklist and Price Guide: 1961 To Present (Comic Book Checklist and Price Guide, 2003) by Brent Frankenhoff, Peter Bickford, Maggie Thompson, John Jackson Miller ISBN: 0873494709 Publisher: Krause Publications Pub. Date: November, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Standard Catalog of Comic Books (Standard Catalog of Comic Books) by Maggie Thompson, Peter Bickford, Brent Frankenhoff, John Jackson Miller ISBN: 0873497198 Publisher: Krause Publications Pub. Date: October, 2003 List Price(USD): $34.99 |
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Title: The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, 30e by Robert M. Overstreet ISBN: 0060957344 Publisher: HarperResource Pub. Date: 25 April, 2000 List Price(USD): $22.00 |
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Title:Comic Buyers Guide ASIN: B000066T08 Publisher: Krause Publishers List Price(USD): $182.00 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $33.95 |
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Title: The Photo Journal Guide to Comic Books (VOL I: A-J & VOL II: K-Z) by Ernst W. Gerber, Mary Gerber ISBN: 096233281X Publisher: Gerber Pub Co Pub. Date: 01 November, 1990 List Price(USD): $145.00 |
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