Here’s a breakdown of the comic book grading scale. The grading scale indicates the level of quality of the comic book. The better the comic book, the higher the score. Comic books with higher grades will be more valuable.
| Grade | Abbreviation | Number | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gem Mint | GM | 10 | Perfect/No defects |
| Mint | M | 9.9 | Perfect except a minor manufacturing flaw |
| Near Mint/Mint | NM/M | 9.8 | Nearly flawless, with little or no handling or manufacturing flaws. |
| Near Mint+ | NM+ | 9.6 | Great condition with a few minor manufacturing/handling defects |
| Near Mint | NM | 9.4 | Great condition with minor wear, a few minor manufacturing/handling defects |
| Near Mint- | NM- | 9.2 | Very good condition with some wear, minor manufacturing/handling imperfections |
| Very Fine/Near Mint | VF/NM | 9.0 | Very good condition with a few minor manufacturing and/or handling flaws. |
| Very Fine+ | VF+ | 8.5 | Attractive with a moderate flaw or a number of minor flaws |
| Very Fine | VF | 8.0 | Attractive with a moderate defect or a collection of minor flaws |
| Very Fine- | VF- | 7.5 | Above-average with a moderate defect or a collection of small defects |
| Fine/Very Fine | FN/VF | 7.0 | Above-average with a major flaw or a collection of minor imperfections |
| Fine+ | FN+ | 6.5 | Above-average with a major defect and some small flaws, or a significant buildup of minor defects |
| Fine | FN | 6.0 | Slightly above-average with a major defect and some minor imperfections, or a significant number of small defects. |
| Fine- | FN- | 5.5 | Slightly above-average with numerous moderate defects |
| Very Good/Fine | VG/FN | 5.0 | Average with numerous moderate defects |
| Very Good+ | VG+ | 4.5 | Slightly below-average with many moderate defects |
| Very Good | VG | 4.0 | Below-average with many moderate defects |
| Very Good- | VG- | 3.5 | Below-average with some major defects or multiple moderate defects |
| Good/Very Good | GD/VG | 3.0 | Significant evidence of handling and a number of moderate-to-major defects |
| Good+ | GD+ | 2.5 | Extensive evidence of handling and a number of moderate-to-major defects |
| Good | GD | 2.0 | Extensive evidence of handling and many moderate-to-major defects |
| Good- | GD- | 1.8 | Extensive evidence of handling and many major defects |
| Fair/Good | FR/GD | 1.5 | Extensive evidence of handling and a heavy amount of major defects |
| Fair | FR | 1.0 | Very poorly handled and a heavy amount of major defects |
| Poor | PR | .5 | Heavily defaced and numerous major defects, missing pieces |
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