What do VF, FN and NM actually mean?

VF, FN and NM are letter names on the 10-point comic grading scale. NM (Near Mint) centers on 9.4, VF (Very Fine) on 8.0 and FN (Fine) on 6.0. Each name also covers a band of plus and minus steps, so "VF" can mean anything from 7.5 VF- to 8.5 VF+, while 8.0 is one specific grade with its own list of allowed defects.

The full 25-step grading scale

A grade has three parts that travel together: a number, a letter abbreviation and a full name. The number is the precise part. Here are all 25 steps, from best to worst.

The scale has two quirks. The steps are not evenly spaced: tenths at the very top, two-tenths from 9.8 down to 9.0, half points from 9.0 down to 2.0, then 1.8, 1.5, 1.0 and 0.5.

The shorthand also varies by source. As of October 2026, CGC's published grading scale writes NM/M for 9.8, G for Good and Fa for Fair, so its 3.0 is G/VG and its 1.5 is Fa/G. The numbers are the same; only the letters differ.

Whose convention this is

No single company owns the scale. It is a hobby convention: the 10-point numbers and letter abbreviations that the major grading companies print on their labels. CGC's FAQ says its own standard grew out of grading criteria that the hobby already used, and was first built from a consensus of grades assigned by a nationwide pool of experts, including dealers and leading collectors (CGC grading FAQ, as of October 2026).

The same FAQ says grading "is not an exact science" and that slight variances may exist between CGC's standards and those of some dealers and collectors. So read any grade as an expert opinion measured against a shared standard. Two careful graders can disagree by a step.

NuGrade reports use the same numbers and abbreviations, for example 9.2 NM-, so you can read them against the table above. A NuGrade grade is our evidence-bounded opinion from your photos and video. It is not a CGC grade, and it does not replace professional grading or encapsulation. To see which service fits which job, read how the grading companies compare.

A band is not a grade

When a listing says "VF," it can mean either of two things. It can mean the Very Fine band, which runs from 7.5 VF- through 8.0 VF to 8.5 VF+. Or it can mean the specific primary grade, 8.0. Those are three different grades, and on some books each step changes the price.

Each step inside a band has a defined meaning:

• Plus (VF+, 8.5): the book fits the band and has an extra virtue, or a few, that improves its appearance by a perceptible amount.
• Minus (VF-, 7.5): the book fits the band but has an extra defect, or a small accumulation of defects, that detracts by a perceptible amount.
• Split (FN/VF, 7.0): the book sits between two bands and does not decisively belong to either. It is better than Fine+ and not quite Very Fine-.

A specific grade always has a number: "VF/NM" is 9.0. "VF/NM-ish" is not a grade. It could mean anything from VF (8.0) to NM (9.4), five different grades, and it describes the seller's impression rather than the book. Read "NM-ish," "high grade" and "VF range" the same way.

Grades also follow the worst defect, not the overall impression. A book that looks Near Mint at arm's length is not NM if it has a 1/4 inch crease that broke the color, because no NM grade allows a bend that breaks color. One defect can set the grade.

When a seller gives you a band or a hedge, ask for three things: the number, the defect that keeps the book from the next step up, and the page quality. A seller who knows the book can answer all three.

What each band looks like in practice

These summaries follow the published definitions for the primary grade in each band, with CGC's one-line definition where it helps. The plus and minus steps sit just above and below.

NM: 9.2 to 9.6

CGC defines 9.4 as "a very well-preserved collectible with minor wear and small manufacturing or handling defects." On the book, that means:

• a flat cover with bright, glossy ink
• sharp corners, with at most ever-so-slight blunting
• a bend of up to 1/16 inch at 9.4, or 1/16 to 1/8 inch at 9.2, and only if it never broke the color
• almost no stress lines, and staples that may show slight discoloration
• off-white to cream pages that are still supple

Above the band, 9.8 NM/MT allows only negligible defects, 9.9 allows one very minor manufacturing defect, and 10.0 allows none.

VF: 7.5 to 8.5

CGC defines 8.0 as "an attractive collectible with a moderate defect or an accumulation of small defects." Expect:

• a relatively flat cover with minimal wear beginning to show, possibly minute wear at the corners
• generally bright ink with moderate to high gloss
• an unnoticeable 1/4 inch crease, but only if the color is not broken
• an almost flat spine with possibly one minor color break, and a few nearly insignificant stress lines
• cream to tan pages, still supple

The 9.0 VF/NM split above the band needs outstanding eye appeal and allows a 1/8 inch bend only if no color is broken.

FN: 5.5 to 6.5

CGC's 6.0 is "a slightly above-average collectible with a major defect and some smaller defects, or a significant accumulation of small defects." Typical signs:

• minor cover wear and minor to moderate creases
• a significant drop in gloss
• blunted corners, and perhaps minor staining, soiling or foxing
• a minor spine roll, and possibly a 1/4 inch spine split or a severe color break
• tan to brown pages with no brittleness

VG: 3.5 to 4.5

CGC's 4.0 is "a below-average collectible with multiple moderate defects." Typical signs:

• moderate to significant cover wear with low gloss, and a cover that may be loose but not detached
• moderate creases or dimples, and blunted corners
• up to a 1/4 inch triangle missing from a corner or edge, or a 1/8 inch square
• moderate spine roll or a 1 inch spine split, and a centerfold that may be loose or detached at one staple
• brown pages that are not brittle

Store stamps, name stamps and arrival dates have no effect at this grade.

GD: 1.8 to 2.5

Good is a reading copy with substantial wear. Typical signs:

• a cover that may be detached, with rounded corners more common
• book-length creases or dimples
• a missing piece of up to a 1/2 inch triangle or a 1/4 inch square
• a spine split of up to 2 inches, and staples that may be degraded, replaced or missing
• tape or other amateur repair, common on Silver Age and older books

Pages are brown but not brittle.

FR and PR: 0.5 to 1.5

Fair (1.0) shows heavy wear: no gloss left, creases, tears and folds throughout, and up to a quarter of the front cover missing or no back cover, but not both. Its pages may be brittle at the edges but not in the middle. Poor (0.5) has little or no collector value: brittle, usually incomplete, and the covers may be detached with large chunks missing. Fair/Good (1.5) sits between Fair and Good-.

Notice what runs through every band: color break. A bend that never broke the ink is a small defect. One that broke it exposes the paper, and that line stays, which is why pressing can relax a bend but cannot remove a color break. To place your own book, a photo-first checklist for grading at home walks through the areas in order.

Page quality is a separate call

Page quality describes the color and strength of the interior paper. Graders record it as its own designation, apart from the number, using a ladder that runs from White through Off-White, Cream and Tan to Brown. Brittleness is judged separately from color, because pages can look off-white and still crack along the spine.

Many page calls simply describe the paper. Some also cap the grade, however clean the cover is. On CGC's published page quality scale, as of October 2026:

• only White pages are allowed at 10.0
• Off-White to White is the lowest designation allowed at 9.9
• with rare exceptions, 9.8 or better needs at least Off-White
• Light Tan to Off-White cannot go higher than 8.5
• Tan to Off-White tops out at 7.5
• slightly brittle pages top out at 6.5, and brittle pages at 3.5

Below 9.8, Cream to Off-White, common on Silver Age and older books, carries no stated cap. That is why books with the same page call can still grade far apart, as the sample reports below show.

A photo can suggest page color, but it cannot show how the paper flexes or cracks. NuGrade asks the owner about a brittle or cracking feel in its intake survey rather than guessing from the images.

Three sample reports: a grade plus a range

A NuGrade report gives a specific grade with its tier and a plausible range: how far the call could move if a contested area resolved up or down. Three public sample reports, all graded September 30, 2026, show how those parts fit together. They are case studies of what photo evidence shows, not a measure of accuracy.

• E-Man #1 (Charlton, 1973): 9.2 NM-, range 8.5 VF+ to 9.4 NM. The report has only two findings, both production: a slight miswrap that leaves a narrow unprinted strip along the front spine edge, and a small dark mark at the left edge of the back cover, likely a bindery or printing artifact. The grade sits in the NM band, but the range reaches down through the VF/NM split to VF+, which is why the report gives both.
• Marvel Presents: Guardians of the Galaxy #4 (Marvel, April 1976): 7.5 VF-, range 7.0 FN/VF to 8.0 VF. The spine limits it: an accumulation of small stress ticks through the upper and middle spine, several showing white color break against the black cover and persisting across adjacent frames of the spine pass. VF- is the bottom step of the VF band, and the range reaches down into the FN/VF split.
• Green Lantern #59 (DC, March 1968): 5.5 FN-, range 5.0 VG/FN to 6.5 FN+. The spine limits it again, with a row of short color-breaking stress ticks along most of its length, concentrated at both staples. The cover shows light surface abrasion and faint shelf wear in the green field near the bottom left, with no crease through the image.

All three carry the page quality Cream to Off-White, and in each the page-flip video accounted for all 36 pages. Restoration shows as Unverified in all three, because competent restoration can be invisible in ambient-light photos. Anyone can open a report by its ID at the report lookup, with no app or account.

For what a photo-based grade can and cannot settle before you send a book away, see what a pre-grade can actually tell you.

NuGrade is independent of, and not endorsed by, CGC. CGC is a trademark of its owner, used here only to identify its services.

Frequently asked questions

Is 8.0 the same as VF?

8.0 is the primary Very Fine grade. "VF" on its own can also mean the whole Very Fine band, from 7.5 VF- to 8.5 VF+, so ask for the number when it matters.

What is the difference between NM and NM/MT?

NM is 9.4, Near Mint. NM/MT is 9.8, a split between Near Mint and Mint that allows only negligible defects, and NM+ (9.6) sits between the two.

What does a slash grade like FN/VF mean?

A slash marks a split grade that sits between two bands. FN/VF is 7.0: better than Fine+ (6.5) but not quite Very Fine- (7.5).

Can page quality lower a comic's grade?

Yes. Page quality is a separate call, but some designations cap the grade: on CGC's published scale, Tan to Off-White pages top out at 7.5, slightly brittle pages at 6.5 and brittle pages at 3.5.

Is a NuGrade 9.2 the same as a CGC 9.2?

No. NuGrade uses the same 10-point numbers and abbreviations so its grades are easy to read, but a NuGrade grade is an evidence-bounded opinion from your photos and video. It is not a CGC grade and is not a substitute for professional grading or encapsulation.