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Finding Comic Book Values

From Aaron Albert,
Your Guide to Comic Books.
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Getting Started With Comic Book Values:
Knowing what your comics are worth can be a tricky business. There are many things to consider, and many different ideas of how much a comic book can be worth. There are four simple steps you will need to take:

1. Grade Your Comic
2. Check A Price Guide
3. Compare Against Current Sales
4. Set Realistic Goals

With these simple guidelines, you should easily be able to figure out how much your comic book is truly worth.


1. Grade Your Comic:
The Grade of a comic is the condition that it is in. This is determined by many different factors. There is the cover of the comic. Is it creased, torn, or even attached? The inside of the comic is also very important. Is the color faded or yellowed? Coupons that have been cut out will drastically decrease the value. But don’t worry too much. Even if a comic book is relatively worn, if it is a comic book that is rare, has the first appearance of a character, very old, or highly sought after, then it very well could still be worth a good deal of money. But be careful, rating a comic can be very subjective.
2. Check A Price Guide:
Once you know the condition of your comic, it may be time to check a price guide. Price Guides will list the comic book name and value based on the condition. Some price guides will give a range of worth for the comic. Others will give just one price. There are few different ones to choose from such as Wizard Magazine and The Overstreet Price Guide. These are nice guides, but they are by no means set in stone. The true measure of the worth of a comic book is how much someone is willing to pay for it.
3. Compare Against Current Sales:
Auction Sites
Auctions, such as Ebay, are a great way to see how much people are willing to pay for a comic book. Sometimes the amount is great, but other times it isn’t. This can be because of many different things. There may be too many of the same comic available. Other times there just isn’t a buyer willing to pay what you want. There also may be a better graded version of the comic available. But either way, checking auctions sites will give you a good idea of what the comic book is going for right now.

Look Online
Finding information about a comic book is a good way to get a good idea of a comics value, especially if you can’t find it in a price guide or auction site. You may have an unusual or rare item on your hands. Just use a search engine like Google or Yahooand type in the title of the comic book. That will usually lead you to more information about the comic. You can also check and see what online retailers such as Mile High Comics are selling their comics for to get an idea about the competition.


4. Be Realistic:
The last thing to keep in mind is to be realistic about your comic book value. You might think your comic book is worth thousands of dollars, but that doesn’t mean someone will pay it. Here are some good things to keep in mind when trying to determine the value of your comic book.
  • Just because your comic book is old doesn’t mean it is worth anything. What truly makes a comic book worth something is rarity, popularity, and condition.
  • A comic book store will not pay you top value for a comic book. They need to make a profit. Try to set up a consignment.
  • Trying to get top dollar for your comic is a great idea, but you may need to set your sights a little lower, especially if you want to sell fast. Sometimes the market won't bear what you want. Check auction sites or comic book stores to see what your comic book is selling for right now. It may be less than it is "worth", but you never know, it may be worth more.
  • It is extremely important to be honest about the condition of your comic when selling it. This will insure no repercussions on your part.

If you keep these things in mind when trying to determine your comic books value, then you will be on the right track. Just be patient if you are trying to sell your comic and you should eventually be able to get what it is worth. Remember to know the condition, check a price guide, compare it to real prices by doing your research, and be realistic. If you do these things, you should easily be able to determine what your comic book is really worth.
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