Sealed (S): Original sealing cellophane intact and still present
Mint (M)
Record: No scratches or scuffs, appears unused
Sleeve: No stains, blemishes, discoloration, stickers, ring wear, bent corners, tears or writing. Perfect.
Near Mint (NM)
Record: Glossy surface, no visible defects. No clicks or pops during playback.
Sleeve: No creases, ring wear or slits on the spine. No cut-out marks.
Excellent Plus (EX+) Excellent Minus (EX-) Excellent (EX)
Record: May have light scratches or very light grooves that do not affect the listening experience. May have minimal signs of use such as small marks around the center hole.
Sleeve: Very light discoloration is acceptable. May have some small creases where the record lies. There should be no Cut-Out hole
Very Good Plus (VG+) Very Good Minus (VG-) Very Good (VG)
Record: May have scratches, gouges, or small deformations, more or less light, depending on whether the record is VG/VG+/VG-. Possible background noise especially in VG ratings. There may be minimal signs of use such as small marks around the center hole.
Sleeve: The cover may have wear or tears on the spine, which is the most delicate part of the record, but no more than a couple of centimeters (1 inch). There may be light ring wear or faint discoloration or have a few small creases where the record lies. There may be a Cut-Out hole.
Good Plus (G+) Good Minus (G-) Good (G)
Record: The shine of the surface is almost gone but the record still plays without skipping.
Sleeve: Shows obvious ring wear, tears and rips or prominent Station or previous owner writing, possibly bent or broken corners. listed defects, reduce the preservation grade to VG- or worse.
Fair (F)
Record: Very scratched and will most likely skip
Sleeve: Very damaged, small parts missing or tears
Poor (P)
Record: Record terribly scratched or badly warped. Record will skip or wobble when on turntable.
Sleeve: Extremely damaged. Tears and missing parts or completely missing