Tips for a new collector

[mcallima]

Ahoi hoi,

While I've always been a comic geek, I'm just starting to get serious about collecting. I'm just looking at it as a hobby rather than an investment, but I'm still going to be diligent about maintaining the quality of my collection.

I'm hoping that an experienced collector might offer me a few tips on how to handle a comic book while I'm grading it. I'll be replacing the boards on every comic I buy and adding acid neutralizing sheets. Obviously I'll need to open the books to judge the condition of the interior. Beyond wearing gloves, what steps can I take to avoid introducing flaws while grading and archiving?

Your help is appreciated.

 

[Heretic]

Now that the CGC is basically the industry standard, your own personal grade that you give to your own comics is all but useless. If you aren't grading them to sell them, just assign a random grading and move on...because if a comic is worth any real value, you'd want to get it certified before selling it anyway.

 

[mcallima]

I think CGC is no less subjective than any other system. They're inconsistant and their standards aren't public. I'm not grading to sell, just for my own enjoyment. I'll be following Overstreet's system strictly, and documenting every detail and flaw of the book in written and photographic forms. That should be just as informative as CGC's random number.