ArtisticallyChill

While on vacation in San Diego and attending the San Diego Comic-Con, my friend, Yul, picked up a 9.8 CGC (Certified Guarantee Company) graded comic. The comic was a 1st print issue of Uncanny X-men, Vol. 1 # 266. This issue was the first full appearance of Gambit. He got it at a good price too. He talked the dealer down from $400 and paid only $300. Yes, three hundred dollars.

Since then, I’ve wondered about whether or not to go through some of my older comic books and getting them graded at Chicago Comic-Con. Rummaging through the boxes containing comic books from the 20th century, I found a few first issues of a few series I never ended up collecting. I found a few older comics from when I used to send for them in the mail, having sent actual money in mail, then I got caught by my parents because apparently your not suppose to do this. Then I found a few of the comics I picked while I was in the Marines. One of those comics was The Witchblade Vol. 1 # 1, 1st printing, published by Top Cow and signed by Michael Turner. This comic was co-created by Michael Turner and features his artwork on the cover and the interior pages. Before this, Michael had only done background illustrations for Top Cow titles. The comic was also signed and I remember paying $10 for this at the local comic book store outside of Camp Pendleton, in Oceanside, California. And since then, after reading it nearly 14 years ago, I’ve had it bagged and boarded. So, I figured this comic would be the first one I would get graded.

So I swung by the CGC booth at Chicago Comic-Con, nervous at thought of someone else handling my comic book, and dropped off my Witchblade comic book to be graded. The following day I picked up my newly CGC graded Witchblade # 1 and was surprised at the result:

A 9.8 (out of 10)! That’s amazing considering how long I’ve had this comic nearly 14 years and that I’ve managed to keep it safe from the elements and transport from California to Illinois.

After showing Serena my newly CGC graded comic, she decided to get her copy of Wonderful Wizard of Oz # 1 also graded, but not before getting it signed by Skottie Young. For the CGC Signature Series, the signature must be witnessed by a CGC rep or have the rep go get the signature for you. The graded comic is also distinguished by the yellow colored grade banner. So I dropped off the comic book and picked it up at the end of the show on Sunday:

Another thing I’d like to point out is that the folks at the CGC booth were very nice and helpful. They addressed all my questions and also gave me some great tips in what to look for when deciding whether or not a comic book is worth grading.

I wonder what some of my older comic books would grade at. Not all of them look like they would score above a 9.0. I actually have a comic book from 1986, it’s still bagged and boarded but I can tell it’s seen better days. But I was 9 when that comic and didn’t know any better. But there are a few worth giving a second look. Who knows, maybe there will be another one worth getting graded that will be worth more in the future.

~ LoneWolf