Grade | Description (The following is based on the Goldmine standard but enhanced for play grading so that rating can be more qualitative as opposed to being strictly subjective) |
Mint (M) | Vinyl: Perfect! This record looks like it has just left the manufacturer, with NO flaws what so ever. It looks as though it had never been handled. No scuffs or scratches, blotches or stains. Audibly, there will be no surface noise, no clicks and no pops. Cover: No stickers, address labels, writing on the covers or labels unless placed there by the record company. No tears or seam splits. No wear to the cover period! |
Near Mint (NM) | Vinyl: This record appears virtually flawless. A very minor scuff and very little else can appear on the vinyl. It should play without any noise over the flaw. The flaw is very hard to see. Audibly, the surface noise will be barely noticeable, no clicks, no pops and no scratches. Cover: The cover looks as close to perfect with only minor signs of wear and or age. Minor impressions to the cover (due to the outer edge of the vinyl resting inside) may be acceptable; however the artwork is to be as close to perfect as can be. No ring wear. |
Excellent (EX) | Vinyl: Minor scuffs which are only slightly visible. There may be more than a few scuffs and NO Scratches. Audibly the surface noise will be very minimal but audible and primarily a function of the age of the album. There may be up to 3 clicks per side. There will be no scratches. Cover: Artwork is still as close to perfect as can be. Some impression to the cover (minor outer ring wear) but no ink wear! Some slight creases to the corners, but not wrinkled and obtrusive to the eye. The corners can show white (where the artwork pasted slick was) meaning, slight wear. No seam splits or writing on the cover or taped repairs can make this grade |
Very Good Plus (VG+) | Vinyl: Record shows wear, surface scuffs. The vinyl still has a great luster, but the flaws will be noticeable to the naked eye. If the flaws don't cause significant surface noise, the vinyl can still make the VG+ grade. Audibly the surface noise will be higher than an EX record but not so high as to be distracting to the listener. There may be 6 or less clicks per side. There will be no scratches. Cover: A virtually clean cover, but may have small writing on it. The artwork looks clean with slightly more aging. The back of the cover usually gives away the age of the cover. Flat white paper will be somewhat yellow yet no stains or mildew from water damage. Some minor wear to the seams or spine, but no tears or holes popping through.The album may have a purposeful circular hole punched in it but the hole can not disfigure the artwork. The ring wear will be more noticeable than EX but will not form a complete circle. The corners will be slightly dog eared yet no crackly bends, defacing the artwork. In essence, a VG+ cover should have no more than 3 flaws mentioned. |
Very Good (VG) | Vinyl: This record is a record that is good enough. They are not really going to look very good, but it will STILL play very good. A VG record will appear to have been played but still have some luster. Audibly thesurface noise will be higher than a VG+ record and may at times be somewhat distracting to the listener. There may be 9 or less clicksper side. There will be no scratches. Cover: There will be more ring wear, where the ink has begun to wear off. The ring wear may form a complete circle giving the cover a look of snow falling. If the artwork looks snowy all over, it is less than VG condition. There may be some writing on the cover (still, no Large letters in magic marker). It will look aged and more yellowish due to contamination's in the air (sometimes looking like cigarette smoke). Still it should be decent. |
Good (G) | Vinyl: A Good record will look very well played, dull, grayish and possibly abused. However a Good record should still play. Audibly, it will have distracting surface noise, such as crackle that may be continuous or some hiss. The record will also have some loss of dynamics caused from grooves being worn. It should play without any skips or any obtrusively loud pops or repeated clicks, caused by deep scratches. Good means that it will play with some form of decency, so one can still enjoy the music even though you can still hear noise caused from the wear. Cover: A Good cover will have just about everything wrong with it. It will have seam splits (possibly taped repaired, but only with scotch tape. No duct tape or masking tape repairs. These are big turn offs. May have magic marker writing on the cover but still if they are in huge letters, it is a big turn off. In essence, the cover will look virtually trashed, but some artwork will still be noticed. If the artwork is worn, it is POOR and the cover is worthless. |