Collectible grading 101: CGC Comics sets up shop at MegaCon Orlando
Shawn Caffrey and Brittany McManus of Certified Guaranty Company Comics joins WESH 2 to preview the event March 19-22 at the Orange County Convention Center
NORTH CENTRAL PARK AT SEVEN. MEGACON IS BACK IN ORLANDO, BRINGING IN MORE THAN 150,000 FANS AND WITH IT, A BOOMING MARKET FOR COLLECTIBLES. THE ACTION PICKS BACK UP FOR DAY TWO IN LESS THAN AN HOUR TODAY. FROM COMIC BOOKS TO TRADING CARDS AND AUTOGRAPH SIGNINGS, SOME OF THESE ITEMS CAN BE WORTH THOUSANDS, POTENTIALLY EVEN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. JOINING ME NOW TO WALK US THROUGH HOW THIS ALL WORKS ARE SEAN CAFFREY AND BRITTANY MCMANUS FROM CERTIFIED GUARANTY COMPANY. GUYS, WELCOME IN THIS MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US. WE WERE JUST TALKING. IT’S A BUSY START TO COMIC-CON, ISN’T IT? MEGACON. YEAH, THE TRAFFIC ON THE FLOOR DEFINITELY FEELS EVEN MORE SWOLLEN, I WOULD SAY, THAN LAST YEAR. AND MEGACON WAS ALREADY PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST SHOWS IN THE COUNTRY EACH YEAR. RIGHT. OKAY, SO LET’S GET RIGHT INTO THIS. FOR THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW, CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH WHAT IS CG COMICS? WE ARE A THIRD PARTY IMPARTIAL GRADING SERVICE. SO YOU SEND YOUR COLLECTIBLES TO US AND THEN WE GRADE THEM ON THE CONDITION, OKAY. LIKE THE ONES THAT WE’RE SEEING RIGHT HERE, AUTOGRAPHS WE KNOW ARE A HUGE PART OF MEGACON. BUT CAN YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT THE AUTHENTICITY OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT IS, AND HOW EASY IS IT TO SPOT AN AUTHENTIC AUTOGRAPH? YEAH, ACTUALLY, CTC SIGNATURE SERIES PROGRAM IS THE GOLD STANDARD FOR AUTOGRAPH. AND EVERY SINGLE AUTOGRAPH THAT WE GET ON A BOOK IS EYEWITNESS BY SOMEBODY. SO THAT GUARANTEES THAT IT’S AUTHENTIC. AND ANYBODY THAT ISN’T ABLE TO GET A WITNESS OR MAYBE HAD SOMETHING SIGNED IN THE PAST. WE ALSO HAVE JSA, WHICH VERIFIES EYEWITNESS SIGNATURES, AND THEY HAVE DECADES OF EXPERIENCE LOOKING AT SIGNATURES FROM DIFFERENT CREATORS AND CELEBRITIES OR ATHLETES. YOU KNOW, OVER THE COURSE OF JUST YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS. SO THEIR KNOWLEDGE IS ALSO EXTREMELY VAST. DO YOU KNOW WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY LOOK FOR WHEN THEY’RE TRYING TO ASSESS WHETHER IT’S AUTHENTIC OR FAKE? OH MY GOSH, IT IS AMAZING. THEY LOOK AT THE TYPE OF PEN USED. IF THERE WAS ANY KIND OF HESITATION USED WHEN THEY WERE SIGNING, THEY CAN TELL WHETHER IT WAS RIGHT HAND, LEFT HAND, WHETHER THEY DRAGGED, WHETHER THEY WERE TIRED. IT’S AMAZING, ACTUALLY, WHAT YOU CAN TELL WITH THE SIGNATURE A LOT IN THE DETAILS. YES. SO MUCH. SEAN, WE JUST MENTIONED THAT THERE ARE SOME COMIC BOOKS THAT CAN GO FOR THOUSANDS. WE’RE TALKING POTENTIALLY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. WHAT IS IT ABOUT A PARTICULAR COMIC BOOK THAT WOULD MAKE IT THAT VALUABLE? WELL, IN THE CASE OF THE ACTION, ONE SOLD FOR $15 MILLION, ITS RARITY. IT’S A PIECE OF HISTORY. I MEAN YOU’RE BUYING THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF SUPERMAN. WHO DOESN’T WANT THE BEST OF THAT COPY. IT’S LIKE OWNING A PICASSO RIGHT. THAT ONE ACTUALLY BELONGED TO NICOLAS CAGE. OH WOW. SO IT HAS A LITTLE BIT OF A STORY AND A HISTORY BEHIND IT. AND RESURFACED YEARS LATER. IT’S A REALLY COOL STORY, KIND OF LIKE A MOVIE IN ITSELF. OKAY, I’M ASSUMING IT HAS TO BE IN A CERTAIN KIND OF QUALITY. CORRECT? LIKE NO FINGERPRINTS. WHAT ARE WE TALKING. WELL, FOR A BOOK FROM THE 1930S, IT GRADED OUT A90. SO IT’S PROBABLY THE BEST. THE BEST. IT’S PROBABLY THE BEST LOOKING COPY OF A BOOK THAT’S ALMOST 100 YEARS OLD THAT YOU’LL FIND. OH, WOW. ALL RIGHT, WE KNOW THAT YOU GUYS HAVE A BOOTH THERE AT MEGACON THAT PEOPLE CAN STOP BY AND VISIT. WHAT ARE PEOPLE GOING TO BE ABLE TO FIND WHEN THEY’RE THERE? OKAY, SO WE HAVE A HUGE BOOTH. 901 AT THE MEGACON, AND YOU CAN SUBMIT ANY OF YOUR COLLECTIBLES, COMIC BOOKS, TRADING CARDS, VIDEO GAMES, HOME VIDEO. AND WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF FUN MARKETING ACTIVATIONS WHERE YOU CAN WIN A PIN AND OTHER FUN PRIZES AT THE BOOTH. SO IT’S A GOOD TIME. YOU GUYS MUST SEE A LOT OF STUFF OUT THERE. YES. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY HAS BEEN THE COOLEST OR MOST UNIQUE THING BROUGHT TO YOUR ATTENTION? ONE THAT COMES TO MIND FOR ME IS A COPY OF SPORTS ILLUSTRATED THAT WE GOT THAT WAS ACTUALLY MAILED TO KOBE BRYANT, HAD HIS MAILING ADDRESS LABELED. IT WAS MAILED TO HIS CHILDHOOD HOME BECAUSE HE WAS SUCH A HUGE FAN OF MICHAEL JORDAN. SO THAT ONE REALLY RESONATED WITH ME. IT WAS A REALLY COOL THING TO GET THE GRADE AND ENCAPSULATE. IT WAS REALLY HOW DID IT GREAT. WHAT WAS THE VALUE OF THAT ONE? IT WAS RED, SO IT WAS LOVE. IT WAS A HIGH GRADE BOOK. BUT THAT’S THE COOLEST PART ABOUT IT, IS THE FACT THAT HE FLIPPED THROUGH IT AND PROBABLY PULLED A POSTER OUT AND HUNG IT ON HIS WALL. MICHAEL JORDAN IT’S JUST A REALLY COOL STORY. OKAY, SO SINCE YOU GUYS ARE HERE, I TOLD YOU I HAD A COMIC BOOK STASHED AWAY IN MY DESK. NOW THIS IS I DON’T KNOW WHAT KIND OF CONDITION THIS ONE IS IN, BUT THIS IS WHEN THE GALACTIC STARCRUISER HOTEL OPENED AT DISNEY WORLD. I NEVER OPENED THIS, BUT THIS IS WHAT IT IS RIGHT HERE. JUST GRABBED IT FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY DESK. CAN YOU GUYS DO YOUR MAGIC ON THIS? SO ACTUALLY, I’M ACTUALLY AT OUR BOOTH 29001. WE’RE DOING A MEET THE GREETER WHERE YOU CAN ACTUALLY BRING YOUR COLLECTIBLES TO OUR BOOTH. AND I CAN ASSESS THE GRADING SITUATION AND GO, GO STEP BY STEP ON LIKE DEFECTS ON A BOOK. SPINE STRESS BENDS. SO WHEN I TAKE THIS OUT, ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I’M GOING TO LOOK FOR IS THIS RIGHT HERE ALONG THE SPINE EDGE. AND YOU CAN SEE THERE’S SOME BENDS HERE AND SOME CREASES. THIS WAS LOVED, AND IT BENDS UP RIGHT HERE. I GUESS MY DESK REALLY LOVED IT. SO I THINK OVERALL YOU’LL PROBABLY BE LOOKING ON OUR GRADING SCALE LIKE AN 8085. OKAY, THAT’S NOT TOO BAD. WHAT IS IT WORTH? YOU KNOW WHAT? HONESTLY, COMICS ARE REALLY ONLY WORTH WHAT SOMEONE IS WILLING TO PAY FOR IT. OH, SO I’M STILL COMING BACK TO WORK TOMORROW? UNFORTUNATELY, YES. WELL, TOMORROW IS SATURDAY, BUT I’M COMING BACK TO WORK ON MONDAY, I SUPPOSE. ALL RIGHT.
Collectible grading 101: CGC Comics sets up shop at MegaCon Orlando
Shawn Caffrey and Brittany McManus of Certified Guaranty Company Comics joins WESH 2 to preview the event March 19-22 at the Orange County Convention Center
Updated: 9:56 AM EDT Mar 20, 2026
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ORLANDO, Fla. —
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