Accurate and honest grading is one of if not the
most important responsibility of any record dealer and is much more of an art
than running through a list of check-boxes. As such, I offer the below
descriptions as a rough overview of the standards in place for each grade.
Near Mint is a grade which I do not use often, unless I can't see any mark!
NM
Near Mint
The cover should look close to perfect with only minor signs of
wear and or age. Minor impressions to the cover (due to the outer edge
of the record resting inside) may be acceptable, however the artwork
should be as close to perfect as can be.
Describes an almost mint record, this grade is used for records
that appear virtually flawless but not perfect. A very minor scuff can
appear on the record. Yet, the record must play without any noise over
the flaw and the latter must be very hard to detect. Any blemish
affecting sound quality will prevent records from being graded NM or M.
EX
Excellent
The cover and packaging might have slight wear but excellent aspect overall.
The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality.
VG+
Very Good +
Cover shows some handling imperfection like normal wear and tear,
price tag, creasing... Cover can also be in mint condition but there is a
DJ or promo copy stamp or cut in the corner.
Most common condition for records. The record has been played a
few times but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, no wear,
despite occasional light marks.The average person would not notice
anything wrong.
Light pops and crackles may appear, particularly before and after the music starts
VG
Very Good
Cover suffers from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration ...
Now the signs of age and handling are starting to show. You can
notice some clear wear on the surface, there is some noise (pops and
crackles). There may be minor warps not affecting play
VG-
Very Good -
Cover suffers from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration ...
Now the signs of age and handling are starting to show. You can
notice some clear wear on the surface, there is quite some noise (pops and
crackles). There may be minor warps (better to ask for
confirmation to the seller especially if your turntable is sensitive).
G
Good
The cover and contents can be torn, stained and/or defaced, there also can be some writing on it.
The record has been played so much that the sound quality has been
noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild
scratches.
F
Fair
The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing. Cover can also be missing.
The record may not play properly due to scratches, bad surface
noise, etc ...
P
Poor
The record may not work properly, not worth listing apart from very rare items as collection fillers
NA
Not applicable
The cover is missing or this code is not applicable for that kind
of item (Plain white or black sleeve, books, merchandising ...).
The record is missing or this code is not applicable for that kind of item (books, merchandising ...).
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Postage and Packaging Rates
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