Terminology
Arrival Date
The date written (often in pencil) or stamped on the cover
of comics by either the local wholesaler, newsstand owner,
or distributor. The date precedes the cover date by
approximately 15 to 75 day, and may vary considerably from
one locale to another or from one year to another
Atom Age
Comics published from 1946-1956.
Bound Copy/Bound Volume
A comic that has been bound into a book. The process
requires that the spine be trimmed and sometimes sewn into a
book-like binding.
Brittleness
A severe condition of paper deterioration where paper loses
its flexibility and thus chips and/or flakes easily.
Bronze Age
Comics published from 1970-1984.
Browning
The aging of paper characterized by the ever-increasing
level of oxidation characterized by darkening; or the level
of paper deterioration one step more severe than tanning and
one step before brittleness.
Centerfold or Center Spread
The two folded pages in the center of a comic book at the
terminal end of the staples.
Certified Grading
A process provided by a professional grading service that
certifies a given grade for a comic and seals the book in a
protective slab.
CF
Abbreviation for Centerfold.
CFO
Abbreviation for Centerfold Out.
CGC
Abbreviation for the certified comic book grading company,
Comics Guarantee, LLC.
Classic Cover
A cover considered by collectors to be highly desirable
because of its subject matter, artwork, historical
importance, etc.
Cleaning
A process in which dirt and dust is removed.
Color Touch
A restoration process by which colored ink is used to hide
color flecks, color flakes, and larger areas of missing
color. Short for Color Touch-Up.
Condition
The state of preservation of a comic book, often
inaccurately used interchangeably with Grade.
Coupon Cut or Coupon Missing
A coupon has been neatly removed with scissors or razor
blade from the interior or exterior of the comic as opposed
to having been ripped out.
Cover Gloss
The reflective quality of the cover inks.
Cover Trimmed
Cover has been reduced in size by neatly cutting away rough
or damaged areas.
Coverless
A comic with no cover attached. There is a niche demand for
coverless comics, particularly in the case of hard-to-find
key books otherwise impossible to locate intact.
Crease
A fold which causes ink removal, usually resulting in a
white line.
Double Cover
When two covers are stapled to the comic interior instead of
the usual one; the exterior cover often protects the
interior cover from wear and damage. This is considered a
desirable situation by some collectors and may increase
collector value; this is not considered a defect.
Dust Shadow
Darker, usually linear area at the edge of some comics
stored in stacks. Some portion of the cover was not covered
by the comic immediately above in and it was exposed to
settling dust particles.
Encapsulation
Refers to the process of sealing certified comics in a
protective plastic enclosure. Also known as "slabbing."
Genre
Categories of comic book subject matter; e.g. Science
Fiction, Super-Hero, Romance, Funny Animal, Teenage Humor,
Crime, War, Western, Mystery, Horror, etc.
Golden Age
Comics published from 1938 to 1945.
Indicia
Publishing and title information usually located at the
bottom of the first page or the bottom of the inside front
cover. In rare cases and in some pre-1938 comics, it was
sometimes located on internal pages.
Key, Key Book, or Key Issue
An issue that contains a first appearance, origin, or other
historically or artistically important feature considered
especially desirable by collectors.
Logo
The title of a strip or comic book as it appears on the
cover or title page.
Marvel Chipping
A bindery (trimming/cutting) defect that results in a series
of chips and tears at the top, bottom, and right edges of
the cover, caused when the cutting blade of an industrial
paper trimmer becomes dull. It was dubbed Marvel Chipping
because it can be found quite often on Marvel comics from
the late '50s and early '60s but can also occur with any
company's comic books from the late 1940s through the middle
1960s.
Modern Age
Modern Age A catch-all term applied to comics published
since 1992.
Mylar
An inert, very hard, space-age plastic used to make high
quality protective bags and sleeves for comic book storage.
"Mylar" is a trademark of the DuPont Co.
One-Shot
When only one issue is published of a title, or when a
series is published where each issue is a different title
(e.g. Dell's Four Color Comics).
Origin
When the story of a character's creation is given.
Over Guide
When a comic book is priced at a value over Guide list.
Oxidation Shadow
Darker, usually linear area at the edge of some comics
stored in stacks. Some portion of the cover was not covered
by the comic immediately above it, and it was exposed to the
air. Also see Dust Shadow and Sun Shadow.
Paper Cover
Comic book cover made from the same newsprint as the
interior pages. These books are extremely rare in high
grade.
Pedigree
A book from a famous and usually high grade collection -
e.g. Allentown, Lamont Larson, Edgar Church/Mile High,
Denver San Francisco, Cosmic Aeroplane, etc. Beware of
non-pedigree collections being promoted as pedigree books;
only outstanding high grade collections similar to those
listed qualify.
Platinum Age
Comics published from 1883 to 1938.
Post-Code
Describes comics published after February 1955 and usually
displaying the CCA stamp in the upper right-hand corner.
Pre-Code
Describes comics published before the Comics Code Authority
seal began appearing on covers in 1955.
Pre-Hero DC
A term used to describe More Fun #1-51 (pre Spectre),
Adventure #1-39 (pre-Sandman), and Detective #1-26
(pre-Batman). The term is actually inaccurate because
technically there were "heroes" in the above books.
Pre-Hero Marvel
A term used to describe Strange Tales #1-100 (pre-Human
Torch), Journey Into Mystery #1-82 (pre-Thor), Tales To
Astonish #1-35 (pre-Ant Man), and Tales Of Suspense #1-38
(pre-Iron Man)
Provenance
When the owner of a book is known and is stated for the
purpose of authenticating and documenting the history of the
book. Example: A book from the Stan Lee or Forrest Ackerman
collection would be an example of a value-adding provenance.
Pulp
Cheaply produced magazine made from low grade newsprint. The
term comes from the wood pulp that was used in the paper
manufacturing process.
Quarterly
Published every three months (four times a year).
Rat Chew, Rodent Chew
Damage caused by the gnawing of rats and mice.
Reading Copy
A comic that is in FAIR to GOOD condition and is often used
for research; the condition has been sufficiently reduced to
the point where general handling will not degrade it
further.
Reading Crease
Book-length, vertical front cover crease at staples, caused
by bending the cover over the staples. Square-bounds receive
these creases just by opening the cover too far to the left.
Restoration
Any attempt, whether professional or amateur, to enhance the
appearance of an aging or damaged comic book. These
procedures may include any or all of the following
techniques: recoloring, adding missing paper, stain, -ink,
dirt or tape removal, whitening, pressing out wrinkles,
staple replacement, trimming, re-glossing, etc. Amateur work
can lower the value of a book, and even professional
restoration has now gained a certain negative aura in the
modern marketplace from some quarters. In all cases, except
for some simple cleaning procedures, a restored book can
never be worth the same as an unrestored book in the same
condition.
Rolled Spine
A spine condition caused by folding back pages while
reading.
Run
A group of comics of one title where most or all of the
issues are present. See Complete Run.
Saddle Stitch
The staple binding of magazines and comic books.
Silver Age
Comics published from 1956 to 1970.
Slab
Colloquial term for the plastic enclosure used by grading
certification companies to seal in certified comics.
Slabbing
Colloquial term for the process of encapsulating certified
comics in a plastic enclosure.
Spine
The left-hand edge of the comic that has been folded and
staled.
Spine Roll
A condition where the left edge of the comic book curves
toward the front or back, caused by folding back each page
as the comic was read.
Splash Page
A Splash Panel that takes up the entire page.
Square Back or Square Bound
Pages are glued to the cover as opposed to being stapled to
the cover, resulting in a flat binded side. Also known as
Perfect Binding.
Store Stamp
Store name (and sometimes address and telephone number)
stamped in ink via rubber stamp and stamp pad.
Subscription Copy/Subscription Crease
A comic sent through the mail directly from the publisher or
publisher's agent. Most are folded in half, causing a
subscription crease or fold running down the center of the
comic from top to bottom; this is considered a defect.
Subscription Fold
Differs from a Subscription Crease in that no ink is missing
as a result of the fold.
Sun Shadow
Darker, usually linear area at the edge of some comics
stored in stacks. Some portion of the cover was not covered
by the comic immediately above it, and it suffered prolonged
exposure to light. A serious defect, unlike a Dust Shadow,
which can some-times be removed. Also see Oxidation Shadow.
Title
The name of the comic book.
Under Guide
When a comic book is priced at a value less than Guide list.
Upgrade
To obtain another copy of the same comic book in a higher
grade.
Victorian Age
Comics published from 1828 to 1883. |
