Rating definitions

I have rated the vinyl and packaging separately for each LP on this site. NB: I have graded as "near mint" vinyl that, according to the definition below, would ordinarily be graded as "mint." The reason: The album has been opened and possibly (but not necessarily) been played at least once. Ergo, it is not "mint," a grading which implies new, never opened, and thus never played. In other words, vinyl that I have graded "near mint" is nonetheless "mint" -- it looks as though it has never been handled, and in many cases there is a high probability that it has not.

  • There are a number of ways to judge whether an LP has ever been played. The most obvious is the condition of the vinyl itself. When I say that an LP's vinyl is "flawless," "perfect,", or "beautiful," I mean that there is not one single scratch or blemish on it, and you may rest assured that I am not exaggerating.
  • Another way to tell if a record has ever been played is to look at the area around the center of the disc, where the record will sit on the spindle (the short, stubby post that inserts itself into the center of the LP). If an LP has been played, there will often, but not always, be some telltale marks around this area indicating the person attempting to place the LP on the turntable might have been somewhat off center as he/she was attempting same. (Please see the closeup image on this page to see what I am referring to.) When I use words like "flawless," "perfect," "near mint," "mint," "unplayed," or "beautiful" to describe the vinyl, I am implying that not only are there no visible marks, scuffs, scratches, or other blemishes anywhere on the actual vinyl, but also that there is not a single mark anywhere around or near the disc's spindle insertion point that would suggest it had ever been placed on a turntable.

The rating criteria that I am using to grade LPs that are featured on this site follow (I have copied the page verbatim from the source indicated below; I am not responsible for typos or poor grammar or sentence construction). Please note that amongst record collectors and vinyl aficionados, there are divergent opinions about the validity, applicability, and/or utility of this and similar rating systems for LPs.

MINT (M): Perfect. This record looks like it has just left the manufacturer, with NO flaws what so ever. It looks as though it had never been handled. No scuffs or scratches, blotches or stains. No stickers address labels, 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- : This 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 be as close to perfect as can be.

EXCELLENT or EX or VG++ : minor scuffs which are only slightly visible. There may be more than a few scuffs and NO Scratches 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 artwork pasted slick was) meaning, slight wear. No seam splits or writing on the cover or taped repairs can make this grade.

VERY GOOD PLUS or VG+ record shows wear, surface scuffs. The vinyl still has a great luster, 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. COVERS: 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 cover. 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 will 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 record that is good enough. They are not really going to look very good, but it will STILL play very good. there will almost always be some surface noise when they are played. The Dynamics should still be excellent, overpowering the surface noise. A VG record will appear well have been played but still have some luster. VG covers will look worn, 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 due to contamination's in the air (sometimes looking like cigarette smoke). Still it should be decent.

GOOD or G A good record will look very well played, dull, grayish and possibly abused. However a Good record should still play. It will have distracting surface noise. Such as crackle that is continuous or some hiss. Will also have some loss of dynamics caused from 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 Good 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. These are big turn offs. May have magic marker writing on the cover but still if they are in huge letters, it is a big turn off.In essence, the cover will looked virtually trashed, but some artwork will still be noticed. If the artwork is worn, it is POOR and the cover is worthless.

(Source: http://www.eskimo.com/~bpentium/beatles/grading.html.)