| Visual grading (conservative) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mint (M) | ||
| Vinyl | Absolutely perfect. Physicaly impossible. Of course, I will not use this grade | |
| Cover | Same as vinyl | |
| NM | ||
| Vinyl | No scratches, scuffs or other obvious defects. Very clean | |
| Cover | Almost perfect. Great-looking. | |
| NM- | ||
| Vinyl | An almost pristine looking record with, perhaps, one or two very faint scuffs or barely visible needlemarks (hairline) | |
| Cover | Very minor sign of wear | |
| VG++ (Exc) | ||
| Vinyl | Almost as good as NM-, but a few more faint scuffs and/or very light surface needlemarks. | |
| Cover | No split seams, some minor signs of wear like faint ring wear or little seam wear. Still pretty good-looking | |
| VG+ | ||
| Vinyl | More surface light scratches or/and scuffs | |
| Cover | A bit more wear than a VG++, such as moderate ring wear or/and seam wear. Maybe one partially split seam. | |
| VG | ||
| Vinyl | A good-looking record with more scuffs and/or scratches | |
| Cover | possibly split seams, perhaps some writing, tape, sticker, ring wear. Looks used | |