RECORD GRADING
We use the guidelines for assessing and grading the condition of used records based on the Goldmine Grading for Records standards. All of our second hand vinyl records which require cleaning are professionally cleaned using a MOTH RCM Mk 2 record cleaning machine.
Still Sealed or SS : Still sealed! Original factory seal. Never opened. Never played. Perfect condition.
Mint or M : Perfect! The record looks like it has just left the manufacturer, with no flaws whatsoever. It looks as though it has never been handled. No scuffs, scratches, blotches or stains. No stickers, address labels, or writing on the covers or labels. No tears or seam splits. No wear to the cover or record period! Age of the record has nothing to do with it.
Near Mint or NM, M- : The 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. 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.
Excellent or EX or VG++ : This record may have minor scuffs which are only slightly visible. There may be more than a few scuffs, but NO scratches. The 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 printing has worn away and /or slight shelf wear. No seam splits or writing on the cover, or taped repairs can make this grade.
Very Good + or VG+ : The record shows wear and/or surface scuffs. The vinyl still has great lustre, but the flaws will be noticeable to the naked eye. If the flaws don't cause any surface noise, the vinyl can still make the VG+ grade. The album will have 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 record. 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 corners may 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 or VG : This record is a copy that is good enough. They are not really going to look very good, but it will still play very well. There will almost always be some surface noise when played. The fidelity should still be excellent, overpowering the surface noise. A VG record will appear well played, but will still have some lustre. VG covers will look worn and used. There may be some seam splitting . There will be some ring wear where the ink has begun to wear off. 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, but will still look decent.
Good or G : A good record will look very well played, dull, greyish and possibly abused. However a G record should still play. It will have distracting surface noise, such as crackle or some hiss that is continuous. It will also have some loss of fidelity caused from the 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. A G graded 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. It may have magic marker writing on the cover. In essence, the cover will looked virtually trashed, but some artwork will still be noticed. If the artwork is obliterated, it is in Poor condition, and the cover is worthless.
On a scale from 1 (Poor) to 10 (Perfect) the above gradings are equivalent to: Mint (M) 10 Near Mint (NM) or M- 8 Excellent (EX) or VG++ 7 Very Good Plus (VG+) 6 Very Good (VG) 5 Good (G) 3 Fair (F) 2 Poor (P) 1
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