Condition of comics

Unless otherwise indicated, all comics sold on this site and in stores are of condition 9.0 or better.

The Première Issue bookstore uses English terms and abbreviations to describe the condition of its comics. These are standard terms used by the industry. Here are the definitions:

MINT (MT): 9.9

This is the best possible condition for a comic. Very rare specifically for comics before the 90s. It is almost impossible to find this condition for comics before the 80s.

A comic in exceptional condition with subtle flaws on the spine. The cover is flat and shows no signs of wear. The cover is shiny and very lustrous. The comic corners are perfectly square and neat. The pages should be white and flexible.

No autograph or writing is allowed, neither on the cover nor on the inside.

NEAR MINT / MINT (NM / MT): 9.8
NEAR MINT + (NM +): 9.6

An almost perfect comic book but with a few minor flaws. You can see this comic has been preserved properly and looks as new as the day it was printed.

A slight bend "stress line" may be present near the pins on the spine.
The staples are centered on the spine and clean.
The thorn should be tight and flat.
The cover is flat and shows no signs of wear. She is shiny and lustrous.
The cover is pretty well centered and aligned with the comic pages.
The corners of the comic are square and crisp. Slight imperfections are allowed.
Signs of stress should be almost imperceptible.
Pages should be like new.

NEAR MINT (NM): 9.4
NEAR MINT- (NM-): 9.2

This comic is an excellent copy with great visual appeal.

It is shiny and clean with flexible pages.
The spine may have a few very small folds no more than 1/4 inch. The color of the surface around the folds should not be broken, there should not be white folds.
The thorn is almost completely flat.
The cover is relatively flat and almost without surface wear. Coverage is generally bright with medium to high reflectivity.
The staples may show some discoloration, but it is not noticeable at first glance.
The inside pages and covers are usually off-white to white, but can be creamy or slightly yellowish.

VERY FINE / NEAR MINT (VF / NM): 9.0

This comic is in slightly better condition than ‘’ Very Fine + ’.

VERY FINE + (VF +): 8.5
VERY FINE (VF): 8.0
VERY FINE- (VF-): 7.5

A comic in "Very Fine" condition appears to have been read a few times and has been handled with care. This condition allows for more imperfections. All in all a very nice comic, very collectable.

It has some minor flaws. It may also have a crease that broke the surface (white).
It has few folds on the spine.
The cover may be very slightly chipped on the side of the slice.
The cover has slight surface wear, but still has its original shine. Basically, there are no major flaws with the cover.

FINE / VERY FINE (F / VF): 7.0

Slightly better than "Fine +".

FINE + (Fi +): 6.5
FINE (Fi): 6.0
FINE- (Fi-): 5.5

This comic has been read several times but remains in fair condition.

The comic can have a major flaw such as having a very small piece of the cover torn off or a slight tear.
It has several folds on the spine and the spine may be slightly bent.
The pages may be yellowish but are not crumbly.
The inside pages may have small tears or creases.
Discoloration, fading of colors and even minor stains are allowed.
The cover can be detached with a single clip.

VERY GOOD / FINE (VG / Fi): 5.0

This comic is in slightly better condition than ‘’ Very Good + ’.

VERY GOOD + (VG +): 4.5
VERY GOOD (VG): 4.0
VERY GOOD- (VG-): 3.5

This comic has definitely been read several times but it remains drinkable. Copies in this condition are still wrinkled, scuffed, abraded and soiled but remain quite legible.

The comic is complete, but it has several prominent folds and the spine may be bent.
The cover has very little or no sheen at all.
The paper quality is poor, yellow to brown with a few small pieces missing.
If there is a piece missing from the blanket, it cannot be more than ¼ to ½ inch in size.

GOOD / VERY GOOD: 3.0

This comic is in slightly better condition than "Good +".

GOOD + (Gd +): 2.5
GOOD (Gd): 2.0
GOOD- (Gd-): 1.8

This comic is definitely in poor condition, but it is still complete and readable. It has all the possible flaws of a "Very Good" copy. It's the amount of flaws that makes the difference.

FAIR / GOOD (Fr / Gd): 1.5
FAIR (Fr): 1.0

This comic has seen better days and it is heavily worn and jagged. It has all of its pages and it has its cover for the most part. It’s an unappealing copy.

POOR (Pr): 0.5

This comic is so severely lacking that it is of no collection value. A good raw material for collage or papier-mâché ;p