These vinyl records are from my brother's estate and his collection of music, books and collectibles.  In general, the album covers have some wear from handling but the interior vinyls are in nice shape. 

Although I'm a little new to grading vinyls I have graded and sold a wide range of media collectibles from comics and magazines to CDs and DVDs and understand the importance of assigning a correct grade.  I am using the Goldmine Records grading system and am defaulting to undergrading when I have any concerns. If you find that any item you receive from me is not graded correctly once you receive it, please reach out to me and I will make it right.  See condition notes and photos for more information and feel free to ask any questions.

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS:  If you are interested in an item and the shipping expense listed is higher than you’d like, please contact us and we can check if there is a lower rate available.

 

Very Good ++ or Excellent

VG++ or E graded records basically have no visible flaws or possibly one or two very minor flaws.

VG++ or E graded covers have only very surface flaws from limited handling, no visible ring wear and no seam damage.

Very Good +

VG+ records may show some slight signs of wear, including light scuffs or very light scratches that do not affect the listening experience. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are OK. Minor signs of handling are OK, such as telltale marks around the center hole, but repeated playing has not misshapen the hole. There may be some very light ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable.

VG+ covers have only minor wear. A VG+ cover might have some very minor seam wear or a split (less than one inch long) at the bottom, the most vulnerable location. Also, a VG+ cover may have some defacing, such as a cut-out marking. Covers with cut-out markings can never be considered Near Mint.

Very Good

VG records have more obvious flaws than their counterparts in better shape. They lack most of the original gloss found on factory-fresh records. Groove wear is evident on sight, as are light scratches deep enough to feel with a fingernail. When played, a VG record has surface noise, and some scratches may be audible, especially in soft passages and during a song’s intro and ending. But the noise will not overpower the music otherwise.

VG covers will have many signs of human handling. Ring wear in the middle or along the edges of the cover where the edge of a record would reside, is obvious, though not overwhelming. Some more creases might be visible. Seam splitting will be more obvious; it may appear on all three sides, though it won’t be obvious upon looking. Someone might have written or it or stamped a price tag on it.

Very Good -, Good +, Good

A Good to VG– record still plays through without skipping, but it has significant surface noise and groove wear, and the label is worn, with significant ring wear, heavy writing, or obvious damage caused by someone trying to remove tape or stickers.

A Good to VG– cover has ring wear to the point of distraction, has seam splits obvious on sight and may have even heavier writing, such as, for example, huge radio station letters written across the front to deter theft.