What are the pros and cons of comic book certification?

What are the pros and cons of comic book certification?

Mark Zaid (Owner of Esquire Comics) gives expert video advice on: What does a comic book certification company do?; What are the pros and cons of comic book certification? and more...

Comic book certification companies to some extent are somewhat controversial. When they were created, there was a lot of uproar, and to some extent, this still remains. The biggest con about these is that the comic books are encased in plastic, so you can't read it. Unlike a baseball card or a coin which also have their own certification companies, all you need do is turn the side over. You can see the front side, you can see the back side. The thing about comic books is, the covers are beautiful, but there's not much on the back side very often, just some cool ads perhaps. But you want to see what's inside. So there's a detriment to it, of going down that route. On the other side, this is something that gives you a certified grade by an independent grading company. There's a restoration check which is quite important, and to many, like myself, they're now in a storage container that will minimize my handling of the comic book so there's less likelihood that I'm going to want to read that book and damage it, because that's the last thing I want to do to a $50,000 comic book. I'll just go and buy a $5 reprint and I'll read that one. So it depends on where you're coming from as a collector or as an investor. Some people will have a comic book certified for the sense of the restoration check and then crack the comic book out to be able to enjoy it or put it back in their collection. It all depends on you, as what your individual needs, desires, and interests are.