Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide by Robert M. Overstreet and Gary M. Carter (1999, Paperback)

The one and only - This is it, for 36 years Overstreet is the one guide book series for comic collecting and pricing. They are the experts, the best of the best, The prices in this guide are compiled of information on sales and demand collected from nearly every comic book retailer in the country... The experts who work on this book not only give pricing info but also much usfull info on everything from how to store, preserve and collect your comics to what makes a comic book a comic book... a must have for any comic book fan!!!!!!!!

Most of the pictures of sample comics are in black and white so the detail or defect they are trying to emphasize is difficult to see. You would think they would splurge and use color throughout, considering the book is about grading comics and clear and concise detail is a must. Defects shown, between grades, are inconsistant. It shows some defects are allowable in higher grades and not in lower, which should be the opposite. They attempt to use a 100 point grading scale! Are you serious? I'd like to see a professional grader, truly know the difference between a "44" and a "43". C'mon man, that's ridiculous! I purchased this book so I could really get a handle on accurate grading methods and this book made it worse, not better. I'll be using this book by tearing pages from it and using those pages as packaging material in my shipments. Don't waste your money as I did mine.