ordicio

Collecting guide

How to Collect Comics and Graphic Novels

Comic books, albums, manga and original comic art.

Comics are mass-produced, which is exactly why condition and edition matter so much: millions of copies were read, rolled and thrown away, and the few that survived in fine condition are what collectors compete for.

Getting Started

ordicio covers four kinds of comics:

Many collectors follow a character, a title or an artist. Key issues - first appearances, origin stories, famous covers - are the cornerstones of a collection.

What to Record

Condition and Grading

Comics are graded on a 10-point scale from 0.5 (Poor) to 10.0 (Gem Mint), with the Overstreet labels: Good (2.0), Very Good (4.0), Fine (6.0), Very Fine (8.0) and Near Mint (9.4 and up). CGC and CBCS grade and encapsulate comics and also rate the page quality, from brittle to white. The label matters: a Universal label means unrestored, while Restored or Qualified labels mark a book with repairs or a defect. Record the service, the grade, the label and the certification number.

Care and Storage

Store comics upright in acid-free bags with acid-free backing boards, in comic boxes, in a cool, dark and dry room. Replace old bags every few years - they yellow and give off acids. Never use tape to repair a comic.

Mistakes to Avoid

Kinds of Comics & Graphic Novels

The Data Sheet for Comics & Graphic Novels

The 29 fields worth recording for comics & graphic novels, grouped as in the ordicio app.

Identification

Publisher Text
Publisher or imprint, e.g. Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, Dupuis, Shueisha.
Series Text
Series title with volume where needed, e.g. The Amazing Spider-Man (1963).
Issue number Text
Issue or volume number as printed, e.g. 129, 1/2, Annual 3.
Title Text
The title or name the object is known by, as given by its maker, publisher or catalogue.
Cover date Text
Cover date as printed, e.g. February 1974.
Cover / variant Text
Cover variant, e.g. Cover A, 1:25 ratio variant, newsstand edition, virgin cover, price variant.
Key issue Text
Why the issue matters, e.g. first appearance of the Punisher, origin story, death of a character.
Reference link Link
Web page about this object or its reference entry (catalogue, database, sale).

Creators

Writer Text
Writer or writers.
Artist Text
Penciller and inker; cover artist if different.

Grading

Condition on the 10-point scale and the grading holder.

Grade Choice
Grade on the 10-point scale of CGC and CBCS (Overstreet terms); for ungraded books your own estimate.
25 choices
  • 10.0 Gem Mint
  • 9.9 Mint
  • 9.8 NM/M
  • 9.6 NM+
  • 9.4 NM
  • 9.2 NM-
  • 9.0 VF/NM
  • 8.5 VF+
  • 8.0 VF
  • 7.5 VF-
  • 7.0 FN/VF
  • 6.5 FN+
  • 6.0 FN
  • 5.5 FN-
  • 5.0 VG/FN
  • 4.5 VG+
  • 4.0 VG
  • 3.5 VG-
  • 3.0 G/VG
  • 2.5 G+
  • 2.0 G
  • 1.8 G-
  • 1.5 FR/G
  • 1.0 FR
  • 0.5 PR
Grading service Choice, or your own
Service that graded and encapsulated the book.
  • CGC
  • CBCS
  • PGX
  • Not graded (raw)
Certification number Text
Number on the grading holder (slab) or authentication certificate, to look it up in the service's database.
Label type Choice, or your own
Label colour of the CGC holder, telling whether the book is unaltered, signed, restored or has a qualifying defect.
  • Universal (blue)
  • Signature Series (yellow)
  • Qualified (green)
  • Restored (purple)
  • Conserved (grey)
  • Not applicable
Page quality Choice
Colour and suppleness of the interior pages as noted by the grading services.
  • White
  • Off-white to white
  • Off-white
  • Cream to off-white
  • Cream
  • Light tan to cream
  • Light tan
  • Tan to light tan
  • Tan
  • Brittle
Signed by Text
Who signed the book, with witness (e.g. CGC Signature Series) if any.

Condition

Condition notes Text
Faults, wear and damage in detail.
Restoration & repairs Text
Restorations, repairs, replaced parts and cleaning, with who did them and when if known.

Acquisition

How and when the object came into the collection.

Acquisition date Date
Date the object came into the collection.
Acquisition method Choice, or your own
How the object came into the collection.
  • Purchase
  • Auction
  • Gift
  • Inheritance
  • Exchange / trade
  • Self-collected / found
  • Commission
Acquired from Text
Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.
Purchase price Amount
Price paid including fees and premiums.
Provenance Text
Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).

Value

Estimated and insured value.

Estimated value Amount
Current market value as estimated.
Valuation date Date
Date of the current value estimate.
Valuation basis Choice
What the estimated value is based on.
  • Own estimate
  • Recent sales / auction results
  • Dealer offer
  • Catalogue value
  • Professional appraisal
  • Insurance valuation
Insured value Amount
Sum the object is insured for.

Collection record

Your own inventory data.

Inventory number Text
Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.
Storage location Text
Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.

Standards and References

The data sheets follow the standards collectors, dealers and museums use:

Updated October 24, 2026