You will see the term CGC a lot on this site, so what is it?

CGC is an abbreviation for Certified Guaranty Company. They are an independent company that inspects, grades and encapsulates comic books in a hard plastic holder.

CGC gives comic books a grade based on a 10 point scale. They also conduct a restoration check. Once these two steps are complete the encapsulate the comic book in a tamper proof plastic holder with the title and grade at the top.

The benefits of the service include the restoration check, the protective holder, and most importantly an impartial grading level that buyers and sellers can agree on.

Example of a CGC graded comic in holder:

Action Comics 1 CGC 9.0

CGC sent the following update for collectors who want to send in comic books for a signature series authentication:

CGC will be witnessing Joe Quesada’s and Dave Gibbons’ signatures at special, exclusive signings! Submit your books by July 15, 2011, and we’ll have them signed by these comic book artists and industry giants, then graded and authenticated under the CGC Signature Series tier. And the best part is, proceeds benefit the Hero Initiative! Don’t miss this opportunity! Contact us for full details!

This is your only opportunity to obtain CGC-witnessed signings with Quesada and Gibbons.

Contact CGC Customer Service at 877-NM-COMIC (662-6642) for more information. Or submit your information here, and we’ll contact you with details.

Signed comic books have varied sales results, but a lot of collectors enjoy having them in their collection. If you are a fan of Joe or Dave, this is a great opportunity to get verified signatures from CGC.

If you would like to read an interview with a former grader and founding member of CGC, you can get it here. He gives his thoughts about how CGC has affected the hobby, restored comics (and their prices), pressing and more.

There are some interesting points and it’s fun to see how things have changed in the few years since the interview.

Enjoy!