My record grading system. This is a BASELINE. I will put the specifics of each jacket and vinyl into the product description itself. Mint (M) (Jacket) There will be no flaws. The jacket will be factory sealed with perfect or close to perfect corners. ( LP) The vinyl itself should be without flaws since the jacket surrounding it has never been opened.
Mint Minus (M-) (Jacket) The jacket will most likely be sealed in original shrink, but there may be some shrink missing. There may be sligh t wear from storage at the corners. (LP) The vinyl itself should be without flaws since the jacket surrounding it has never been opened.
Near Mint (NM) (Jacket) If the jacket is sealed there may be some minor corner damage from storage, it may have some torn shrink-wrap. The corners may show some storage wear. If not sealed the cover will show no more than very minor corner wear. Creasing will also be minute at most. There will be no visible ring wear. No writing, rips or tears on the cover or seams. No bubbling, water/mold stains or peeling of the cover in any way. The inside of the gate-fold will be in the same condition. Cutout bin punches, price stickers, staples would start being listed at the NM category and would be noted accordingly as they affect the jacket itself. (LP) You should not hear any surface noise (snaps,crackles, pops) when you play the record. There will not be any skips or repeats. The LP will retain that just opened appearance. There may be some light sleeve abrasions but they will not have any affect on the sound. There will be no warping. There will be no major surface blemishes, light or deep scratches. The label will be free of writing and stains. There should be no stand out spindle marks.
Near Mint Minus () (Jacket) May or may not have shrink-wrap but the jacket itself will still be in beautiful condition. The corners will have minimal wear (no fraying). There may be minor dents and creases. Light scratches could be on the jacket, but nothing severe that defaces the artwork. Depending on age some discolor/yellowing may show, but will not be overbearing. Ring wear should be minimal ( at the top and bottom pressure points) or non-existent...no dark, full, half, or quarter rings. No writing rips or tears. No bubbling, water stains or peeling of the cover . All inner gate-folds will be in similar condition. (LP) You should not hear any sustained surface noise (snaps,crackles, pops) when you play the record. There will not be any skips or repeats. There may be a few surface blemishes, or a stray light scratch that may cause a moment of crackling, but nothing prolonged, and instances of this will be few. Often this will mostly occur only at the beginning of the groove on each side where the needle dropped. There will not be any significant warping. There will be no deep scratches. There may be minor spotting or fog (bag rash), but it will not affect the sound. The label will be free of writing and stains. Minimal spindle marks only.
Very Good Plus (VG+) (Jacket) May or may not have shrink wrap. In this category it will be easier to see imperfections with the naked eye. though nothing that will detract from the overall appearance in a major way. The corners will have some wear and there may be the beginnings of fraying but not full on. Some dents/creases or scratches may be noticeable, but nothing overly pronounced. There could be SOME noticeable discolor/yellowing on lighter parts of cover. There may be some minor ring wear at the top and bottom, a bit more pronounced than NM- but no full or half rings. There could be some pen marks but it would be minimal. Possibly some light bubbling. No water/mold stains or tearing of the cover in any way.
(LP) There may be some blemishes, maybe a few light scratches. It will not cause the record to skip or repeat. There will be no prolonged crackling or surface noise. There may be some minor warping but it will have no affect on the listening experience at all (and it will be noted in that instance). Chances are there will be some lighter spindle marks. A VG+ record will show some signs that it was played and handled by the previous owner BUT he or she took care of it.
Very Good (VG/VG-) (Jacket) This jacket will have easily noticeable imperfections. The corners could show heavier wear and some fraying. The jacket may have seam splits that may or may not have been taped. Ring wear will be noticeable to the naked eye, and may travel the length of the jacket. There could be some writing (names, initials, notations next to songs) but no out an out defacing of the images on the cover. There could be some bubbling, some small tears on the top paper layer (again no destruction of main images)
(LP) There will be surface blemishes, and most likely some scratches. The scratches could be feel-able as well. There could be a skip or repeat, but only one or two at most. More often the deeper scratches will cause more frequent and prolonged surface noise. Crackling may be noticed on more than just quiet parts of the play-back. There may be some warping but it will not cause the needle to jump (and will be noted if present). Chances are there will be spindle marks. A VG/VG- record will obviously have been played a good amount and possibly handled roughly by the original owner.
(Fair/Poor) (Jacket) This jacket will have easily noticeable imperfections. The corners could show heavy wear and fraying. The jacket may have seam splits on multiple sides that may or may not have been taped. Ring wear will be noticeable to the naked eye, and may travel the length of the jacket. The vinyl may not be able to stay in the jacket without falling out. The jacket may be severely water or mold stained. There could be dents, large scratches or rips on the cover. It could have severe, blister-like bubbling. Sometimes it may have full cover writing with doodles and artwork defacing. The corners may be completely worn. (LP) A record in Fair condition can be put onto a turntable and should be playable. T here will be multiple deeper and feel-able scratches that will make for significant surface noise (snaps and crackles & pops) and also cause skips and/or repeats. Spindle marks will be present . Heavy groove wear may also be visible. Simply put a POOR condition record would have MANY issues and would be sold mostly for it's 'rare status'. Note**** If posters, booklets and other inserts are included with any of the records, their condition will be noted if less than the overall grade of the jacket itself. | 