VISUAL GRADING (GOLDMINE STANDARD)
M Mint - usually reserved for sealed records.
NM Near Mint is not quite perfect, has only one or two insignificant defects such as sleeve scuff or light mark. Often these lps are audibly perfect or close. Marks may be found in the entry and trail-off areas.
NM-/Excellent Near Mint-/Excellent is visually very nice, close to NM, but not quite as the lp may have a hairline or a couple of marks.
VG++ (or NM-) Extremely nice, would be NM- except for a few light hairline scratches or scuffs which do not affect play.
VG+ A nice but used record that may have a series of light scuffs or scratches. It may play with a few pops or ticks but no serious problems.
VG A well used record that still sounds OK but may have moderate surface noise, pops, etc.