CGC Grading Scale

CGC uses a highly accurate, industry standard 10-point grading scale to evaluate comic books, magazines, concert posters and lobby cards. Additional scales are used to define Page Quality and Restoration Grading.

Standard | Page Quality | Restoration

Restoration Grading Scale

CGC’s Restoration Grading Scale is a transparent system that is much more descriptive and accurate than before. Every type of restoration found on each book will be individually graded for quantity and quality, with a cumulative score determining the final restoration grade assigned.

Quality (Aesthetic) Scale

Determined by materials used and visual quality of work

Excellent
A
  • Material used: rice paper, wheat paste, acrylic or water color, leafcasting
  • Color match near perfect, no bleed through
  • Piece fill seamless and correct thickness
  • No fading, excessive whiteness, ripples, cockling, or ink smudges from cover or interior cleaning
  • Book feels natural
  • Near perfect staple alignment, or replaced exactly as they were
  • Filled edges cut to look natural and even
  • Cleaned staples or staples replaced with vintage staples
  • Married cover/pages match in size and page quality. Professionally attached
Fine 
B
  •  Material used: pencil, crayon, chalk, re-glossing agent, piece fill from cadavers
  • Piece fill obvious upon close inspection, obvious to the touch
  • Color touch obvious upon close inspection, or done with materials listed above
  • Cover cleaning resulting in slight color fading or excessively white
  • Interior cleaning resulting in slight puffiness, cockling, excessively white
  • Enlarged staple holes, obviously crooked staples, or backwards staple insertion
  • Replaced staples not vintage
  • Married cover/pages do not match in size and/or page quality. Professionally attached
Poor
C
  • Material used: glue, pen, marker, white out, white paper to fill missing pieces
  • Piece fill obvious at arm’s length
  • Bad color matching, use of pen or marker. Bleed through evident
  • Cover cleaning resulting in washed out/speckled colors, moderate cockling and/or ripples
  • New staple holes created upon reinsertion, or non-comic book staples used
  • Married cover/pages poorly attached with non-professional materials

Quantity Scale

Determined primarily by extent of piece fill and color touch

Slight
1		All conservation work, re-glossing, interior lightening, piece fill no more than size of two bindery chips, light color touch in small areas like spine stress, corner crease or bindery chip fill. Married cover or interior pages/wraps (if other work is present)
Slight/Moderate 
2		Piece fill up to the ½” x ½” and/or color touch covering up to 1” x 1”. Interior piece fill up to 1” x 1”
Moderate
3		Piece fill up to the size of 1” x 1” and/or color touch covering up to 2” x 2”. Interior piece fill up to 2” x 2”
Moderate/Extensive
4		Piece fill up to the size of 2” x 2” and/or color touch covering up to 4” x 4”. Interior piece fill up to 4” x 4”
Extensive
5		Any piece fill over 2” x 2” and/or color touch over 4” x 4”. Recreated interior pages or cover

Conservation Repairs

Conservation repairs are performed with the intent of preserving the structural or chemical integrity of a comic book using professional techniques and materials. It excludes aesthetic repairs such as color touch and piece fill. All conserved grades must satisfy the CGC quality scale of "A" and quantity scale of "1".

  • Tear seals
  • Spine split seals
  • Reinforcement
  • Piece reattachment
  • Some cover or interior cleaning (water or solvent)
  • Staples cleaned or replaced
  • Some leaf casting
  • De-acidification

Materials Used for Conservation Repairs

  • Rice paper
  • Wheat glue
  • Vintage staples
  • Archival tape