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Have you found a stash of old comics in the attic? Maybe you happened on someone's comic book collection at a garage or tag sale and picked them up with the idea of making a few dollars. Either way, you need to determine the comic book value, regardless of where you got the comic books or whether there are five books or five hundred altogether.

There are several things that determine the value of a comic book. First of all, based on accepted guidelines, you need to know what kind of condition it's in. The other thing that determines the price you can get for a comic book is its rarity and desirability.

There are two ways to determine comic book value, also called its grade. You browse online to find resources that will help you determine its grade. Alternatively, you can consult the CGC (Comics Guaranty Company) by mail or by going to a comic book convention. The grading terms are Mint, Near Mint, Very Fine, Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. There are books and guides out there that can help you determine the grade, but the same information can easily be found online too.

Learning comic book value becomes much easier once you have determined the grade. One way to get a good idea as to how comic books are selling is to check out online auctions on eBay. However, you should be aware that values will vary from issue to issue, based on special events that might have occurred in the issue, printing errors, or rarity.

You could also buy and consult a comic book pricing guide. There are lots of different ones. Some give one price for each comic, and some give a range of values based on condition. Lastly, try using a good search engine to find information on a specific issue, and join an online community of other collectors.