Know every issue.
Keep every story.
Scan a comic by its barcode or its cover and The Collector knows the exact issue, cover and printing. Every match, slab and value comes with its evidence.
Free to catalog everything. Export your collection any time.
Amazing FantasyMarvel, 1962
Issue #15cover date August 1962
Key issuefirst appearance of Spider-Man
Story by Stan Lee, art by Steve Ditko. Cover by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.
Identified from the cover
Cover image © Marvel, shown to identify the issue.
Scan the barcode.
Or just the cover.
Point your phone at a comic and keep going. With a barcode, the five small digits beside it give the exact issue, cover and printing. Without one, The Collector reads the cover itself and matches it against the catalog.
The five digits beside the barcode
Modern comics carry a UPC plus a five-digit add-on. The first three digits are the issue number, the fourth is the cover and the fifth is the printing. Those are different books with different values, and the scanner keeps them apart.
- Read through a bag and board, one book after another.
- Newsstand and direct editions carry different codes, and both are recognized.
- Publishers don’t always follow the convention, so every read is checked against the catalog before it’s trusted.
A whole stack, on your phone
Hold the phone over each book and keep going. Every match drops into a tray with how it was found, so you only stop for the ones that need you.
- Cover mode reads the title, issue number and price box with AI, then matches the art against catalog covers. For older newsstand books, virgin variants and anything without a barcode.
- No app to install. Scan the QR code on your computer and your phone becomes the scanner, with every book showing up on the big screen as you go.
- No signal at a convention? Scans wait on your phone and sync later.
Read: The Amazing Spider-Man · No. 1 · 1963
Read: The Amazing Spider-Man · No. 252 · 1984
Saga #1
Barcode · Cover A, 2nd print
Something Is Killing the Children #1
Barcode · Cover A, 1st print
The Amazing Spider-Man #1
Cover read · no barcode
The Amazing Spider-Man #252
Cover read · direct or newsstand?
The match, with its reasons.
Most scanners guess and move on. The Collector shows its work: the cover text it read, the printing line, the barcode and its five-digit add-on, each checked against the catalog. When two editions are possible, it asks you one question instead of guessing.
- Newsstand or direct, first printing or third, cover A or the 1:25 incentive: they are different books with different values, and we keep them apart.
- Unknown stays unknown. If a detail can’t be confirmed, it isn’t filled in.
7 09853 01166 800112
Saga #1
Image, 2012 · Cover A · 2nd printing
98%
confidence
Cover text · “SAGA” and “CHAPTER ONE” read from the cover
Printing line · “SECOND PRINTING” is printed on the cover
Add-on 00112 · issue 001, cover 1, printing 2
UPC 7 09853 01166 8 · matches Saga in the catalog
Ruled out
- Saga #1 · 1st printingits add-on reads 00111
- Saga #1 · Fiona Staples incentive coverits add-on reads 00123
Barcodes as recorded in the Grand Comics Database. Cover image © its rights holders, shown to identify the issue.
The slab, read.
Point the camera at a graded book and the label is read for you: grader, grade, label type, page quality, signatures and the certificate number. Raw copies get the same care with a 10-point grade picker.
- Signatures keep who signed and how it was verified: Signature Series, witnessed, or a certificate of authenticity.
- Every copy keeps its own story: what you paid, where it lives, its photos and notes.
9.8
NM/M
Universal
Amazing Spider-Man #252
Marvel Comics, 5/84
White pages
1234567890
Read from the label
- Grader
- CGC
- Grade
- 9.8 NM/M
- Label
- Universal
- Pages
- White
- Cert
- 1234567890
Certificates are claimed once across The Collector. If another account already holds this one, both of you are told, so a sold slab moves with its new owner.
Example slab with a made-up certificate number. Cover image © Marvel.
A value with its sales.
Every estimate shows where it came from: the purchases and sales collectors recorded, the grade band, how many, how recent, and how sure we are. Your portfolio adds up cost basis, value and gains, and says plainly which copies don’t have a value yet.
- Built for investors: realized and unrealized gains, biggest movers, value over time, and an insurance-ready report.
- No scraped numbers and no silent substitutions. If we can’t explain a number, we don’t show one.
An example book · raw, grades 9.0–9.6
$428
likely $400–$445 · good confidence
- Sales in this band
- 11
- Latest sale
- 3 mo ago
- Window
- 36 months
Portfolio value
$18,420
Cost basis
$11,960
Unrealized
+$6,460
Not yet valued
28 copies
Example values for an example book and an example collection.
An assistant that works on your collection.
Ask in plain words. The assistant searches your collection and the catalog, finds the gaps in your runs, explains values and drafts changes. Nothing changes until you approve it.
- “Which of my slabs gained the most this year?”
- “Find every first appearance I own.”
- “Put everything in long box 3 up for trade.”
Proposed change
Add the 7 missing issues to your wishlist, with #129 marked high priority.
Example conversation about an example collection.
Runs, the wall, and your showcase.
See every run at a glance with its gaps marked, follow the series you collect, and get the new issues in front of you before final order cutoff. Put the collection on a screen as a living wall of covers, or share a public showcase that shows what you choose and nothing else.
The Amazing Spider-Man #121–#144
17 of 24
Batman #400–#428
21 of 29
Saga #1–#12
9 of 12
Showcase at collection.id/u/example
Example collection.
For comic shops, buyers already looking.
List your inventory, raw or slabbed. When a collector’s wishlist matches a book on your shelf, they hear about it first. They request a hold, you confirm, and the sale happens at your counter.
Holds this week
23 wishlist matches for your shelf
- M.K.Hold requested
The Amazing Spider-Man #252 · CGC 9.6
- R.T.Held until Saturday
Saga #1 · raw 9.4
- A.P.Sold at the counter
The Walking Dead #1 · raw 9.0
Example shop. A small fee applies only when a hold becomes a sale.
Your collection is yours.
Export everything to CSV or JSON whenever you like, and bring your collection in from the app you use today. It stays private until you decide to share it.
Take it with you
collection.csv
Every copy, every field
collection.json
Complete and machine-readable
Bring it in
- CLZ Comics export
- League of Comic Geeks export
- Any spreadsheet (CSV)
Free to catalog. Pay for the heavy lifting.
Compare plans- Free
- Catalog everything, scan barcodes without limit, export any time, share a public showcase.
- Collector
- More AI cover reads and assistant time, values with their evidence, portfolio insights, run tracking and alerts.
- Pro
- For investors and dealers: the most AI, bulk tools and insurance reports.
Questions collectors ask
Is it really free?
Cataloging and barcode scanning are free, with no limit on how many comics you add. Paid plans add more AI cover reads, more assistant time, values and portfolio insights, alerts, and room for more photos.
How accurate is the scanner?
When a book has its barcode and five-digit add-on, the match is usually exact. Publishers don’t always follow the add-on convention, so every match is checked against the catalog and shown with its reasons. When two editions are possible, you get one quick question instead of a guess.
Where do the values come from?
From anonymized purchase and sale prices that collectors record, grouped by grade, with the number of sales and a confidence level shown next to every estimate. A band needs at least three sales before we show it. If we can’t explain a number, we don’t show one.
Do I need to install an app?
No. It works in any modern browser. To scan with your phone, open the scanner on your computer and scan the QR code; your phone signs in and becomes the scanner. Native apps for iPhone and Android are on the way.
Can I bring my collection from another app?
Yes. Import a CSV from CLZ Comics, League of Comic Geeks or any spreadsheet, and export everything to CSV or JSON whenever you like.
I run a comic shop. How does selling work?
List your inventory, raw or slabbed. Collectors whose wishlists match a book on your shelf hear about it, request a hold, and you confirm. The sale happens at your counter. A small fee applies only when a hold becomes a sale.
Start with the box
closest to you.
Scan the first stack tonight. Your collection stays private until you decide to show it off.