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Before You Commit to Anything

Comic Pre-Screening

Not sure whether your book needs cleaning, needs pressing, or is worth sending to CGC at all? Send Jon twelve photos and $5, and he will tell you straight — including when the honest answer is that it needs nothing.

$5 per book. That is the whole cost of finding out.

How It Works

01

You send the photos

Fill in the form below with your book’s details and upload twelve photos — covers, all eight corners, the spine and the centerfold. Pay the $5 fee as you submit.

02

Jon reviews it personally

He looks at the same things a CGC grader would: color-breaking creases, spine stress, corner wear, page quality. Within 24–48 hours you get an email with what he sees.

03

You decide what happens next

If work is worth doing, he sends an invoice or points you at the right service to order. If it is not worth it, he says so. Nothing further is charged unless you agree to it.

Send Your Book for Pre-Screening

One book per submission. If you want several looked at, fill the form in once per book so each one gets its own assessment.

Your name
Jon replies to this address with what your book needs.
Optional — only used if a photo needs re-taking.
If you know it. Era affects how CGC weighs some defects.
A rough figure is fine. Leave it blank if finding this out is part of what you are asking.
Optional. Tell him what you are trying to decide and he will answer that directly.

Photos of your book

Twelve shots, one per slot below. Jon grades from these, so they need to be honest rather than flattering — bright indirect light, no flash, no glare, and get close enough that corner wear and spine stress are actually visible. Photograph the book out of its bag and board if you can do so safely.

Accepted: JPG, PNG, HEIC or WEBP, up to 25MB each. Each photo uploads as you add it, so a slow connection will not lose your progress.

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The whole cover, straight on, no glare.
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The whole back cover, straight on.

The four front corners

Close enough that corner wear and any color breaks are actually visible.

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Close enough to show corner wear and any color breaks.
Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload
Close enough to show corner wear and any color breaks.
Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload
Close enough to show corner wear and any color breaks.
Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload
Close enough to show corner wear and any color breaks.

The four back corners

Same again on the back of the book.

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Same again on the back.
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Same again on the back.
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Same again on the back.
Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload
Same again on the back.

Spine and center

The two shots that show structure: spine stress, and where the staples come through.

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Along the spine, showing any stress lines, splits or roll.
Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload
The book open at the centerfold, showing where the staples come through.
Optional — previous restoration, known damage, how it has been stored, anything you are unsure about.
Price: $5.00
A flat $5 per book. If you want several books looked at, submit the form once per book.
$0.00

Good to Know

Photos matter more than you think

Jon is grading from your pictures, so shoot in bright indirect light with no flash and no glare, and get close enough that corner wear and spine stress actually show. A flattering photo just produces a wrong answer.

The $5 is not a deposit

It covers Jon’s time looking at the book. It is not credited against later work and it is not refundable — you are paying for the opinion, which you get either way.

You are not committing to anything

Plenty of pre-screens come back as “leave it alone”. That is a legitimate result and it is often the one that saves you the most money.

Already know what you need? Go straight to pressing & cleaning, CGC submission, or read how CGC grades comic books.