Mint (M)Absolutely perfect in every way. Certainly never been played, possibly evenstill sealed.(More on still sealed under "Other Considerations").Should be used sparingly as a grade, If at all.


Near Mint (NM or M-) A nearly perfectrecord. Many dealers won't give a grade higher than this implying (perhapscorrectly)that no record is ever truly perfect.
The record should show no obvioussigns of wear. A 45 RPM or EP sleeve should have no more than the most minordefects, such as almost invisible ring wear or other signs of slight handling.
An LP cover should have no creases,folds, seam splits or other noticeable similar defects. No cut-out holes,either. And of course, the same should be true of any other inserts, such asposters, lyric sleeves and the like.
Basically, an LP in near mintcondition looks as if you just got it home from a new record store and removedthe shrink wrap.

Near Mint is the highest price listedin all Goldmine price guides. Anything that exceeds this grade, in the opinionof both buyer and seller, is worth significantly more than the highest Goldminebook value.


Very Good Plus (VG+) Generally worth50 percent of the Near Mint value.
A Very Good Plus record will showsome signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner whotook good care of it.
Record surfaces may show some signsof wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don't affectone's listening experiences. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are"OK".
The label may have some ring wear ordiscoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The center hole will nothave been misshapen by repeated play.
Picture sleeves and LP inner sleeveswill 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-outhole, indentation or corner indicating it was taken out of print and sold at adiscount.
In general, if not for a couplethings wrong with it, this would be Near Mint. All but the most mint-crazycollectors will find a Very Good Plus record highly acceptable.


Very Good (VG) Generally worth 25percent of Near Mint value. Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be morepronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especiallyin soft passages and during a song's intro and fade, but will not overpower themusic otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as with lightscratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound.
Labels may be marred by writing, orhave tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true ofpicture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all of these problemsat the same time, only two or three of them.
Goldmine price guides with more thanone price will list Very Good as the lowest price. This, not the Near Mintprice, should be your guide when determining how much a record is worth, asthat is the price a dealer will normally pay you for a Near Mint record.


Good (G), Good Plus (G+) Generallyworth 10-15 percent of the Near Mint value. Good does not mean Bad! A record inGood or Good Plus condition can be put onto a turntable and will play throughwithout skipping. But it will have significant surface noise and scratches andvisible groove wear (on a styrene record, the groove will be starting to turnwhite).
A cover or sleeve will have seamsplits, especially at the bottom or on the spine. Tape, writing, ring wear orother defects will start to overwhelm the object.
It is a common item, you'll probablyfind another copy in better shape eventually. Pass it up. But, if it'ssomething you have been seeking for years, and the price is right, get it...butkeep looking to upgrade.


Poor (P), Fair (F) Generally worth0-5 percent of the Near Mint price. The record is cracked, badly warped, andwon't play through without skipping or repeating. The picture sleeve is waterdamaged, split on all three seams and heavily marred by wear and writing. TheLP cover barely keeps the LP inside it. Inner sleeves are fully seam split,crinkled, and written upon.
Except for impossibly rare recordsotherwise unattainable, records in this condition should be bought or sold forno more than a few cents each