# GradeMyGrail

> AI raw comic book condition grader. Photograph an unrestored book and get a conservative numeric grade, designation, and defect notes. 50¢ per grade. Failed grades are refunded.

Chart estimate for raw condition only — not a professional certification.

## Pages

- [Home](https://grademygrail.com/): AI comic book grading, how it works, and FAQ
- [Condition guides](https://grademygrail.com/guides): How to grade a comic book, the 10-point scale, NM vs VF vs FN, and defect notes

## Guides

- [How to grade a comic book at home](https://grademygrail.com/guides/how-to-grade-a-comic-book): A conservative home method: honest photos, structure first, paper as a ceiling, color breaks over bends, and the lower number when you are unsure.
- [Comic book grading scale: 10.0 Gem Mint to 0.5 Poor](https://grademygrail.com/guides/grading-scale): A 10-point ladder with no 9.7 or 9.5. When a book sits between two grades, the lower one is assigned.
- [NM vs VF vs FN vs VG: comic book letter grades explained](https://grademygrail.com/guides/nm-vf-fn-vg): Letter grades are bands. NM is roughly 9.2–9.8. VF is roughly 7.5–9.0. A listing that only says VF is not a 9.0.
- [How to photograph a comic for grading](https://grademygrail.com/guides/photograph-a-comic): A grade is only as honest as the photos. Square shots, even light, original files (not gallery screenshots), and a close-up of wear that blends into the art prevent inflated reads.
- [Color-breaking vs non-color-breaking defects](https://grademygrail.com/guides/color-breaking-defects): White paper showing through ink is a color break. It costs more grade than a bend of the same length that does not break color.
- [Page quality: white to tan to brittle — and why it caps the grade](https://grademygrail.com/guides/page-quality): Paper color is a ceiling, not a bonus. White is required for a perfect 10.0. Brittle pages cannot exceed 3.5.
- [Spine roll, stack stress, ticks, and splits](https://grademygrail.com/guides/spine-stress): The spine is where books fail first. Stress, ticks, roll, and splits are graded by depth, color break, length, and accumulation.
- [Corner dings, right-edge wear, chips vs tears](https://grademygrail.com/guides/corners-and-edges): Corners and the right edge take stacking damage. Missing paper is a piece defect; a soft blunt is not. Manufacturing chips are not graded like a torn bite of the same size — except at the very top of the ladder.
- [What raw condition means vs a slab](https://grademygrail.com/guides/raw-condition): Raw means the book in hand: unrestored, unslabbed, graded conservatively from photos. It is an estimate for condition, not a certificate and not a price.
- [Should I press this book?](https://grademygrail.com/guides/should-i-press): A press can relax some waves, light bends, and roll. It cannot restore cracked ink, missing paper, or brittle pages. When in doubt, do not press first.
- [Comic book grading glossary](https://grademygrail.com/guides/glossary): Short definitions for the words that actually move a raw grade — so a listing and a photo mean the same thing.
- [How accurate is AI comic book grading?](https://grademygrail.com/guides/ai-grading-accuracy): What photos can and can't show, how the defect chart sets the grade, and why the estimate leans low. Not a certification.
- [Comic book grading app: what to look for](https://grademygrail.com/guides/comic-grading-app): A neutral checklist for choosing a comic grading app, and how GradeMyGrail works as a browser web app you can add to your home screen. No download. Not a certification.
- [Is it worth getting your comic professionally graded?](https://grademygrail.com/guides/worth-grading): A fill-in-your-own-numbers worksheet (raw value, slabbed value at one grade lower, all-in cost, time) and when to press first. No fees or values quoted. Not a certification.
- [CGC vs PSA vs CBCS: which comic grading company, or neither?](https://grademygrail.com/guides/cgc-vs-psa-vs-cbcs): A neutral side-by-side of what each grading service states on its own website as of October 2026 (CBCS stopped taking new submissions April 17, 2026), with no fees or rankings, and why to get a conservative raw estimate first. Not affiliated with any of them.

## Grading policy (for citations)

- Conservative: when a book sits between two grades, assign the lower one
- Valid grades only: 10.0, 9.9, 9.8, 9.6, 9.4, 9.2, 9.0, 8.5, 8.0, 7.5, 7.0, 6.5, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0, 4.5, 4.0, 3.5, 3.0, 2.5, 2.0, 1.8, 1.5, 1.0, 0.5
- Color-breaking defects are more serious than the same defect without a color break
- Page quality is a hard ceiling (White required for 10.0; brittle cannot exceed 3.5)
- Manufacturing defects are treated more leniently than handling except at the top grades
- GradeMyGrail is not affiliated with any grading company. Company names appear only on the factual comparison page https://grademygrail.com/guides/cgc-vs-psa-vs-cbcs; no other page names grading companies, price guides, or auction houses
- This is not a professional certification and does not predict a future slab grade