Comic Grading Companies
Two real choices, one to avoid. Here's the honest 2026 map of who should slab your books — and which holders the market discounts on sight.
The 60-second answer
| If you want… | Use | Entry fee | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum resale value | CGC | $28 (Modern) | The 9.8 premium and deepest buyer trust; census data |
| Lower fees & signatures | CBCS | slightly less | Verified Signature Program authenticates existing sigs |
| — | PGX | cheap | Market discounts to raw — avoid for resale |
CGC — the market standard
The blue label is comics' reserve currency: a CGC 9.8 consistently outsells an equivalent CBCS 9.8, and the CGC census is the population data buyers trust. The costs: fees from $28 and turnarounds of 8–18 months on the cheap tiers — pick your tier on the cost page, and verify any slab with the cert lookup.
CBCS — the credible challenger
Founded by CGC's original primary grader, CBCS grades professionally, charges slightly less, and its Verified Signature Program will authenticate an existing signature (witnessed or not) — something CGC's yellow label won't. If you're keeping the book or it carries an unwitnessed signature, CBCS is often the smarter submit.
PGX — the one to avoid for resale
PGX's grades run loose by broad market consensus, and buyers price accordingly: PGX slabs routinely sell near raw value. If you're buying, treat the grade as advisory and price the book raw. If you're selling, crossing to CGC first almost always nets more.