CBCS Has Confirmed When It Will Close For Good

Comic book fans around the world are dealt a major blow with the shuttering of one of the biggest names in grading. CBCS has confirmed that they will be ceasing operations, and soon.

In an email sent on March 24, CBCS announced that the company would be shutting its doors in just a matter of weeks. The announcement cites an increase in "focus and investment in the core Beckett brand and expanding our broader grading capabilities. This includes continued development of our trading card and autograph authentication services, as well as ongoing hiring and team expansion across key areas of the business."

CBCS' notice to the public continued, "As part of our strategy to focus on the Beckett brand, we've made the challenging decision to shut down CBCS," the announcement continues. "Effective April 17, new submissions will no longer be accepted. All existing orders, and any submissions received by that date, will continue through the grading process as normal."

Notably, the CBCS Population Report will remain active, while previously graded comics will continue to be documented across the CBCS database. While this certainly doesn't make up for the loss of CBCS as a whole, it does come as at least some small consolation for collectors and retailers who have graded comics through the company in the past.

CBCS' Legacy As A Grading Company, Explained

CBCS, or Comic Book Certification Service, was founded in 2014 as part of Beckett Media, which has been a leader in producing price guides and authentications for sports cards and other memorabilia for more than four decades. Since then, CBCS has become one of the few leading brands when it comes to grading and authenticating comic books, with the company being only truly rivaled by CGC (Certified Guaranty Company), which was founded back in 2000.

While comic books are ostensibly for reading, key issues have always been highly sought-after collectors' items, and that trend has only grown with the rise of graded books. Beyond preserving any given title, grading comics goes a long way towards establishing their authenticity and establishing a secondary market value, which has become more and more important as the price of such collectibles continues to skyrocket. As comic book media becomes more popular thanks to the sensationalism of Marvel and DC Comics in live-action, more fans are looking to verify the legitimacy of their most prized comic books.

In November 2025, a copy of Superman #1, graded at a 9.0 by CGC despite being more than 85 years old, sold at auction for a whopping total of $9.2 million after fees. This set a new record for the most expensive comic book ever sold, although it was only a few months later when the record was beaten by yet another Superman title. Earlier this year, a copy of Action Comics #1, also graded at a 9.0 by CGC, sold at auction for $15 million, pushing the record into entirely new territory with the staggering sum.

CBCS will officially end services on April 17.