NM : Near Mint
A near perfect, probably played once or unplayed record
VG+ : very good +A Very Good Plus record will show some signs that it was played and
otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Record
surfaces may show some signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very
light scratches that don't affect one's listening experiences. Slight
warps that do not affect the sound are "OK". The label may have some
ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The
center hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play. Picture
sleeves and LP inner sleeves will have some slight wear, lightly turned
up corners, or a slight seam split. An LP cover may have slight signs of
wear also and may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation or corner
indicating it was taken out of print and sold at a discount.
VG : very good
Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a
VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft
passages and during a song's intro and fade, but will not overpower the
music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as with light
scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the
sound. Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or
their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP
covers. However, it will not have all of these problems at the same
time, only two or three of them.
G : good
Good does not mean Bad! A record in Good or Good Plus condition can be
put onto a turntable and will play through without skipping. But it will
have significant surface noise and scratches and visible groove wear
(on a styrene record, the groove will be starting to turn white). A
cover or sleeve will have seam splits, especially at the bottom or on
the spine. Tape, writing, ring wear or other defects will start to
overwhelm the object.
P , F : poor, fair
The record is cracked, badly warped, and won't play through without
skipping or repeating. The picture sleeve is water damaged, split on all
three seams and heavily marred by wear and writing. The LP cover barely
keeps the LP inside it. Inner sleeves are fully seam split, crinkled,
and written upon.
03/19