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GRADING GUIDE GLOSSARY |
Name Stamp - Indicates that an ink stamp with someone's name (and sometimes address) has been stamped in or on the comic book.
nc - Abbreviation for "No cover." See "Cover Missing." nd - See "No Date." Nit-Picker - Collector/Investor who is never satisfied with the condition of a comic book, regardless of quality. nn - See "No Number." No Cover - Cover missing. No Date - When there is no date given on the cover or indicia page. No Number - When there is no number given on the cover or indicia page. These are usually first issues or one-shots. N.Y. Legis. Comm. - New York Legislative Committee to Study the Publication of Comics (1951). Off-center Folding - See "Folding Error." Off Register - See "Out Of Register." Off-set Cover - See "Off-Set Folding." Oil Damage - See "Oil Stain." Oil Stain - A defect in which oil has penetrated the cover and/or interior pages, causing them to become translucent in the area of the stain. ONE - Overstreet Numerical Equivalency. 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. Four Color Comics). Origin - When the story of a character's creation is given. Over-cover - Condition common in 1950s comic books where the cover extends approximately one sixteenth of an inch beyond the interior pages. Because this margin is unsupported by the interior pages it is more susceptible to damage. Over Guide - When a comic book is priced at a value over guide list. Overstreet - Slang for The Comic Book Price Guide. OWL - Overstreet Whiteness Level. 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 was exposed to the air. Also see "Dust Shadow" and "Sun Shadow." p - Art pencils. Pages Missing - One or more pages have been removed from a comic. Pages Out of Order - A rare bindery defect in which the pages of a comic book are bound together in the wrong order. See "POOO." Pages Trimmed - The top, bottom and right-hand edge of the comic (or possibly interior pages) have been trimmed with a paper cutter, hand blade, or pneumatic cutter to hide edge defects. Pages Upside Down - A rare bindery defect in which the cover orientation is reversed relative to the orientation of the interior pages. Painted Cover - (1) Cover taken from an actual painting instead of a line drawing. (2) Inaccurate name for a grey toned cover. Paneloligist - One who researches comic books and/or comic strips. Pannapictagraphist - One who collects comic books. Paper Abrasion - Rough patch or area where the paper has been abraded on a rough surface leaving a rough texture that is often faded. Paper Cover - Comic book cover made from the same newsprint as interior pages. These books are extremely rare in high grade. Parade of Pleasure - A book about the censorship of comics. Pedigree - Status given to certain highly publicized and usually high grade comic book collections/finds. Pedigreed Comic - A comic coming from a pedigreed collection. Pedigreed Copy - See "Pedigreed Comic." Penciller - Artist that does the pencils. Perfect Binding - Pages are glued to the cover as opposed to being stapled to the cover. Also called "square bound" or "sqaure back." Perforations - Small hole at the page margins which sometimes occur as part of the manufacturing process. Not considered a defect. Perforations are sometimes used to tell if a comic is an unread copy. In such a copy tell-tale clicks are heard when the book is opened for the first time as the perforations separate. pg - Abbreviation for "page." Photo Cover - Made from a photograph instead of a line drawing or painting. Photo Reactive Colors - See "Photo Reactive Inks." Photo Reactive Inks - Certain inks used in the printing of comics that contain a higher proportion of metals thus decreasing their stability and resistance to fading. Comics with these inks/colors commonly have faded covers. Examples are: "DC dark green" (e.g. Showcase #8, Superman #100), blue (Showcase #13), purple (Showcase #14), and orange-red (Showcase #4). Pickle Smell - A colloquial description of the odor of ascetic acid, often associated with browning and/or brittle paper. Pictorial Cover - Another term for photo cover. See "Photo Cover." Pneumatic Cutter - An industrial tool used to shear large amounts of paper. poc - Abbreviation for "pencil on cover." Polypropalene - A type of plastic used in the manufacture of comic book bags. Now considered harmful to paper and not recommended for long term storage of comics. pooo - Abbreviation for "Pages Out Of Order," a rare bindery defect in which the cover from one comic is stapled to the interior pages of another comic. POP - Abbreviation for the "anti-comic book" book PARADE OF PLEASURE. Popped Staple - A term used to describe a condition where the cover has split at the staple and has become detached or "popped loose." Post Code - Describes comics published after February 1955 and usually displaying the CCA "stamp" in the upper right-hand corner. Post Golden Age - Comic books published between 1945 and 1950. Post Silver Age - Comic books published after 1969. Poughkeepsie - Refers to a large collection of Dell Comics' "file copies" believed to have originated from the warehouse of Western Publishing in Poughkeepsie, NY. Pre-Code - Describes comics published before March 1955. Pre-Golden Age - Comic books published prior to Action #1 (June, 1938). Pre-Hero - A term coined by collectors and in general use by 1983 to describe More Fun 1-51 (pre-Spectre), Adventure 1-39 (pre-Sandman), and Detective 1-26 (pre-Batman). It was later applied (1984-85) to 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-lron Man). 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), JIM 1-82 (pre-Thor), TTA 1-35 (pre-Ant Man), and TOS 1-38 (pre-Iron Man.) Pre-Silver Age - Comic books published between 1950 and Showcase #4 (1956). Price Stickers - Adhesive backed stickers applied to comic covers to alter the cover price. Some collectors view them as a defect. Printers Smudge - See "Ink Smudge." Printing Defect - A defect caused by the printing process. Examples would include paper wrinkling, mis-cut edges, mis-folded spine, untrimmed pages, off-registered color, off-centered trimming, mis-folded and mis-bound pages. It should be noted that these are defects that lower the grade of the book. Print Through - The printing on the inside of the front cover is visible (to varying degrees) from the front cover as if one were "looking through" the front cover. Not always considered a defect. (See "Transparent Cover)." Prism Foil Cover - Special reflective foil material with 3-dimensional repeated designs. Used with special effects. Progressive Rolled Spine - Spine roll is more pronounced on one end than the other. 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. Puzzle Filled In - Game or puzzle that has been written on, thus reducing the value of the comic. Quarterly - Published every three months (four times a year). Quinone - The substance in ink that promotes oxidation and discoloration and is associated with transfer stains. (2) A yellowish, crystalline compound with an irritating odor, obtained by the oxidation of aniline, and regarded as a benzene with two hydrogen atoms replaced by two oxygen atoms. It is used in tanning and making dyes. Quinone will oxidize another material and be itself reduced to hydroquinone. (See Aniline). r - See "Reprint." Rare - Very few copies in existence. Approx. 10-20. Rat Chew - Damage caused by the gnawing of rats and mice. rbc - Abbreviation for "Right Side or Edge of Back Cover." RBCC - Abbreviation for "Rockets Blast Comic Collector," one of the first and the most prominent adzine instrumental in developing the early comic book market. Reading Copy - A comic that is in Fair to Good condition (ONE 5-34) and is often used for research. The condition has been sufficiently reduced to the point where general handling will not degrade it further. Reading Creases - Book-length, vertical front cover creases at staples, caused by bending cover over staples. Square-bounds receive these creases by just opening the cover too far to the left. Recessed Staples - When staple lateral bar penetrates below the plane of the cover without breaking through. Reglossing - A repair technique where silicone or other clear sprays are applied to comic book covers in an attempt to restore cover ink reflectivity. Generally not viewed as ethical; reducing value of book. Remainders - Comic books that "remain" unsold at the newsstand. In the past the top 1/4 to 1/3 of the cover (or in some cases the entire cover) was removed and returned to the publisher for credit. This practice is the reason many comics from 1936-1965 are sometimes found as coverless copies or 3/4 cover copies. Remainders Copy - See "Remainders." Reprint Comics - Comic books that contain newspaper strip reprints. Research Copy - See "Reading Copy." Restoration - The fine art of repairing a comic to look as close as possible to its original condition. Restored Copy - A comic book that has had restoration work. Return Copy - See "Remainders." Return - See "Remainders." Revival - An issue that begins republishing a comic book character after a period of dormancy. rfc - Abbreviation for "Right Side or Edge of Front Cover." Rice Paper - A thin, transparent paper commonly used by restorers to repair tears and replace small pieces on covers and pages of comic books. Rip - Uneven rough tear. Different from a split or cut, Rolled Spine - A condition where the left edge of a comic book curves toward the front or back. A defect caused by folding back each page as the comic was read. See "Progressive Rolled Spine." Rough Spine - See "Abraded Spine." Round Bound - Standard saddle stitch binding typical of most comics. (See also "Square Bound"). Rounded Corner - See "Abraded Corner." rt - Abbreviation for "right." Run - A group of comics of one title where most or all of the title are present. (See "Complete Run"). Rust Migration - Rust stains have moved from the staples to the paper. Rust Stain - (1) Red-brown stain caused by proximity to a rusty object. (2) Stain associated with rusty staples. A defect. Rusty Staples - Staples that have oxidized through exposure to moisture in the air.
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