CBCS proudly provides certification and grading services for collectors and hobbyist in the comic book industry. Our staff of friendly and dedicated employees offer over 250 years of experience in the comic book market place, and look forward to assisting you.
GRADING AND CERTIFICATION PROCESS
CBCS offers impartial grading and certification for comic books. From the moment your books enter into our facility they are handled with the upmost care by our highly trained professional staff. We have taken every precaution to safely house your comic books while in our care. Our facility boasts a heavily fortified, climate controlled vault, and state-of-the-art security cameras that record and save, the actions of every CBCS employee in every room where your treasured comic books will be during the certification process.
RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION DETECTION
Before a comic book is graded, it is checked for restoration and conservation by our restoration detection experts. If restoration or conservation is found, CBCS will include a list of all the work detected on the label, classifying it as either conserved or restored.
CBCS has one classification level for conservation and five levels for restoration; slight, slight/moderate, moderate, moderate/extensive, and extensive. The more restoration that is detected, the higher the level becomes. Once the book has been checked for conservation and restoration, it enters the grading phase.
GRADING
Each book is checked to make sure they are complete, as each page is counted, checking for missing panels, coupons and pieces. The grader will then take notes of any defects that could affect the books grade or will note any defect that may be hidden or hard to see. The grader will also do another check for restoration and then choose a page quality and a grade from ranging from 0.1 up to 10, with 10 being the highest grade a book can receive.
To make sure one grader does not influence another grader, any grade chosen remains hidden from all of the next graders. When the finalizer gets the book, the process is repeated, and compares the chosen grade to the other grades already assigned to the book. If the grades match, or are reasonably close, the book will receive a final grade. If the grades do not match, the book will be passed to another grader (or even other graders) until a consensus of the final grade has been selected.
The invoice is then sent to encapsulation.
ENCAPSULATION
At this point in the label for the book is printed, an encapsulator then makes sure each CBCS label matches the assigned barcode for each book. The CBCS label lists all the information about the book such as title, issue number, publisher, artist information, key comments and more. The label also includes very specific information about the particular copy that was submitted, including the assigned numerical grade as well as pedigree, variant, signatures, tape, missing pages, restoration, and any other pertinent information.
The books are then sealed into CBCS’s archival safe inner holder. The inner holder, along with the CBCS label is then inserted and sealed into CBCS’s cutting-edge, tamper evident outer case. Once every book in the invoice is encapsulated the books enter the quality control department.
QUALITY CONTROL
Each label is checked for spelling mistakes or any other problems. Each case is checked to make sure the comic is secure, that the label matches the encapsulated book, as well as being checked for any major scuffs and/or abrasions.
Although mistakes will arise, we do our best to make certain that each comic that passes through our QC inspection is properly graded and labeled, and completely meets our high standards before leaving CBCS.
COMICS CBCS GRADE
CBCS grades mainstream comic books that will fit into our holder. The maximum size is 7.625″ x 10.5″ and .24″ thick.
There may be exceptions for comics that are unusually heavy, even though they may fit into the size parameters. These are determined on a case-by-case basis.
RESTRICTIONS
Currently, CBCS do not certify underground comics. A general rule to determine an “underground” would be if the comic is listed in the underground portion of the “Official Underground and Newave Comix Price Guide” published in 1982 by Jay Kennedy. CBCS does not consider most independent comics published after 1982 to be “underground,” though there may be exceptions.
CBCS reserves the right to not certify certain comic books, including those that contain content that we consider “questionable,” or that depicts sexual situations involving minors. This is at our discretion, and our judgement is not debatable.
We do not certify comics that have gems, jewels, beads, or other such items glued to the cover.
Poly-bagged comics must be removed before they can be certified. If you do not remove the comic from the poly bag, by submitting it to CBCS for certification, you are authorizing us to remove it for you. Comics with loose items such as detached 3-D glasses, poly-bags, certificates of authenticity, or other loose materials that can damage a book will not be encapsulated with the comic. These items will be sent back to you at no extra charge.
The collector’s choice for Guaranteed Authentic Signatures on Comic Books, and comic book sketch covers
CBCS is proud to offer our customers a Signature Program that serves the legions of fans who love to get their comic books signed by artists and writers and celebrities, but also want those signatures to be considered authentic.
CBCS’s Authentic Signature Program (ASP) guarantees the authenticity of signed comics, and sketch covers with original art.
Years after your books have been signed and graded with CBCS the signatures will be considered Authentic. The CBCS ASP offers collectors the security of independent third party grading and the knowledge that the autographs on the books have been witnessed and are authentic.
CALL TO ACTION
Our customers asked CBCS for a way to validate unwitnessed signatures on comic books, sketch covers, and original art, and we responded. The Verified Signature Program is a CBCS exclusive service that authenticates unwitnessed signatures that have been obtained by collectors over the years.
For as long as there have been comic book conventions and long before grading companies existed, fans have been getting their comic books signed by artists and writers.
LEGITIMACY
These comics go on to become prized possessions for the original owner of the comic, but like all unwitnessed signatures, the question other collectors ask is  “How do I know” the signature is authentic?
CBCS solves that problem! The VSP service allows the owners of these unwitnessed signatures on comic books, sketch covers and original art to have the signatures certified as authentic. Those collectors wishing to authenticate signatures on comic books, will have them graded without penalty or qualified labels.
SECURITY
Because the item with the VSP authenticated signature has been encapsulated with the CBCS’s distinctive yellow label, the signature and the  “authentication” cannot be separated. Unlike certificates that are at risk of being transferred to another item, the VSP offers the security that the authenticated signature that is on the label is forever tied to the signature on the item.
As a result, the VSP helps to remove the doubt and uncertainty from the minds of collectors, increasing the value of the book.
Beckett Grading Services – or as commonly known, BGS – has emerged as the most-recognized name in the industry for its objective card grading services. It was named the Best Grading Service six consecutive years by Card Trade readers. BGS operates with the same honesty, integrity and excellent hobby knowledge you have come to expect from Beckett. Reliability and consistency are the hallmarks of Beckett Grading Services.
Beckett Grading Services will provide collectors with the finest, most thorough, consistent and accurate grading efforts available in the industry.
CBCS Pricing
Modern
Comic book grading-
Post 1975
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Up to 250€ value
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All inclusive Service
Expanded
Comic book grading-
Pre 1975
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Up to 250€ value
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All inclusive service
Card Grading
Sport cards-
All sport cards
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Beckett quality
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No Subgrades
Signature
Verification-
On all comics triers
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1 signature authentification
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Additionnal Signatures +5€