GRADINGS
Important Considerations: a separate grade to the record and it's sleeve or cover is given. The record's grade is listed first, followed by that of the sleeve or the cover.- SS: Still Sealed
- M: Mint. Absolutely perfect in every way.
- NM: Near Mint.
A nearly perfect record. The record should show no obvious signs of wear. A 45 RPM or EP sleeve should have no more than the most minor defects, such as almost invisible ring wear or other signs of slight handling. An LP cover should have no creases, folds, seam splits or other noticeable similar defects. No cut-out holes, either. And of course, the same should be true of any other inserts, such as posters, lyric sleeves and the like. - EX: No scratches or cover wear
- VG+: Very Good Plus.
A Very Good Plus record will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Record surfaces may show some signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don't affect one's listening experiences. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are "OK". The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The centre hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play.
Picture sleeves and LP inner sleeves will have some slight wear, lightly turned up corners, or a slight seam split. An LP cover may have slight signs of wear also and may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation or corner indicating it was taken out of print and sold at a discount. Not for mint maniacs but still a decent copy. - VG: Very Good.
Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft passages and during a song's intro and fade, but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as with light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound. Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers. - G: Good.
Good does not mean Bad! A record in Good condition can be put onto a turntable and will play through without skipping. But it will have significant surface noise and scratches and visible groove wear. A cover or sleeve will have seam splits, especially at the bottom or on the spine. Tape, writing, ring wear or other defects will start to overwhelm the object.
Important: If there is a big scratch, writing on cover, cut corner or something else which could deteriorate the overall quality of the record, I'll mention it specifically. If you feel I made a mistake in my grading, please let me know and we work something out.
Lexicon to Description Comments:
- Crackle:
back ground hash, a soft background noise that sounds like someone wadding up newspaper in the back ground. - Click:
Short bursts of sound. Relatively muted compared to the music. Like crackle, more noticed in quieter sections. - Pop:
Very loud and very abrupt. Completely drowns out the music. You get up to see if your stylus is still attached. May result in a skip on an poorly balanced tone arm.