GPAnalysis.com (GPA) records the sales of CGC graded comic books from a number of online venues, resulting in a database which records most of the CGC sales which have been documented. For sales of Canadian Price Variants (CPVs), GPA recorded one sale in 2002. It was a CGC 9.8 Daredevil #191 with a 75-cent cover sold for $71 in July. It is possible that many CGC sales through the years have been misattributed to “regular editions” when they were in fact CPVs.
GPA records for CPVs totaled fewer than 15 sales per year prior to 2012. CPV sales recorded by GPAnalysis increased significantly in 2017, with 110 recorded sales. The total count for 2023 peaked at 1,213 CGC CPV sales. The current count for 2026 is 306 CPV sales through mid-May. More than 85% of all 7,487 recorded CGC CPV sales have occurred since January 2020.
The 6,414 CPV sales since January 1, 2020, represent 3.0% of the 216,189 sales for those issues during the same timeframe. Sales for other comic books which do not have a CPV, such as thousands of sales for Amazing Spider-Man #300, were not included in this analysis. Any comic book which has at least one recorded CPV sale at any time since 2002 was isolated for the sales of CPV or non-CPV which occurred in the 2020-2026 timeframe (through mid-May 2026).
GPAnalysis.com 2020-2026 for Comics with CPV and non-CPV editions
| Publisher | Sales | CPV | CPV % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel | 166,991 | 4,708 | 2.8% |
| D.C. Comics | 42,049 | 1,317 | 3.1% |
| Archie | 2,834 | 206 | 7.3% |
| Marvel/Star | 1,927 | 36 | 1.9% |
| Modern Publ | 1,128 | 27 | 2.4% |
| Warren/Harris | 473 | 69 | 14.6% |
| TOTAL | 215,402 | 6,363 | 3.0% |
Archie Publications is notable for introducing direct editions in 1988, about ten years later than Marvel and D.C. Comics. The CPV percentage of 7.3% reflects a Canadian population which had only recently been given the option to purchase an issue other than a CPV. [Note that only Archie's 1980's CPVs were considered in this analysis.] Warren also has a higher percentage of CPV, but a low overall total count. Removing the Archie Publications and Warren/Harris counts from the totals in the chart above would lower the Total CPV % of 3.0% slightly to 2.9%.
The GPA recorded sales of Marvel and D.C. Comics reflect 2.8% CPV and 3.1% CPV, respectively, and the CGC Census also records 2.8% CPV for Marvel and 3.1% CPA for D.C. Comics. This is the first year of the analysis where both the GPA sales and the CGC Census match the percentage of CPVs for both Marvel and D.C. Comics. Earlier analyses for CPV have advised that a standard might require several years of observation, while these consistencies indicate that a standard may now be at hand.
As the prices have increased for CPVs, the condition which is “worth submitting” to CGC has decreased. For example, a non-CPV which might sell for only $40 in CGC 9.6 would be difficult to produce a profit after CGC grading, while a CPV of the same issue might sell for $80 in CGC 9.6 and warrant submission to CGC. As a result, the CPV percentage for CGC 9.6 might be overstated relative to the full population.
The overall 3.0% CPV percentage for GPA recorded sales from 2020 to present should be compared to the CPV percentage for a specific grade, such as CGC 9.8. In general, CGC grading is more likely (being more profitable) for comic books in higher grades, and CGC 9.8 is the most common CGC grade for comic books from the 1980s. The next most common CGC grades are CGC 9.6 and CGC 9.4.
CPV Percentages by CGC Grade
| Publisher | Sales | CPV | CPV % | 9.8 Sales | CPV 9.8 % | 9.6 Sales | CPV 9.6 % | 9.4 Sales | CPV 9.4 % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel | 166,991 | 4,708 | 2.8% | 51,500 | 2.1% | 44,390 | 3.0% | 25,305 | 3.3% |
| D.C. Comics | 42,049 | 1,317 | 3.1% | 14,895 | 2.9% | 11,384 | 3.3% | 6,057 | 3.0% |
| Archie | 2,834 | 206 | 7.3% | 702 | 7.8% | 755 | 7.9% | 472 | 8.1% |
| Marvel/Star | 1,927 | 36 | 1.9% | 635 | 0.6% | 556 | 2.0% | 287 | 3.1% |
| Modern Publ | 1,128 | 27 | 2.4% | 400 | 0.8% | 283 | 2.5% | 176 | 4.0% |
| Warren/Harris | 473 | 69 | 14.6% | 88 | 29.5% | 124 | 10.5% | 88 | 13.6% |
| TOTAL | 215,402 | 6,363 | 3.0% | 68,220 | 2.3% | 57,492 | 3.1% | 32,385 | 3.4% |
When it comes to the estimated “survival rates” for CPVs in high grade, more than 51,000 Marvel and nearly 15,000 D.C. sales show a CGC 9.8 CPV rate of 2.1% and 2.9%, respectively. It is possible that CGC grades lower than CGC 9.8 are not profitable enough to be submitted to CGC as often for non-CPV issues, and the percentage of CPVs for CGC 9.6 and CGC 9.4 would be expected to increase due to fewer non-CPVs graded by CGC. There are increases to 3.0% CGC 9.6 and 3.3% CGC 9.4 percentages for CPVs from Marvel and 3.3% CGC 9.6 and 3.0% CGC 9.4 percentages for D.C. Comics. Both CGC 9.6 and CGC 9.4 are higher percentages for CPV as expected, but they are only about 1% higher than the CGC 9.8 percentages for Marvel and less than 0.5% higher for D.C. Comics.
The 2025 average CGC sales prices for books with both CPV and regular sales according to GPAnalysis.com have reflected multipliers of:
More than 7,000 sales recorded by GPAnalysis.com in 2025 were compiled in the specified grades to produce the multipliers above, with 660 CPV sales (9.4%). These 2025 multipliers are very similar to early analyses, indicating consistency year-to-year for this method of calculation. The CGC 9.8 calculation of 2.5 x Regular $ does show an increase in the multiplier for the high grade, but not as strong as 2.9 in 2024.
— Greg Holland